Forget me not
by kiwikid
Summary: There were screams coming from Clint Bartons mind that disturbed even Loki. So the God reached forth and found a damaged portion of his mind where something was struggling to get free. He promoted healing and set in motion the return of memories locked within Clint's mind of his life as a child and of someone he did not know existed. A man identical to himself known as Will.
1. Chapter 1

Forget me not- The screams coming from within Clint Barton's mind were not caused by Loki's control. Instead Loki finds a scar on the arche'rs brain were something is trapped and trying to break free. Sending healing to that portion of the brain sets in motion a new battle within Clint as memories of someone long forgotten struggle their way to the surface. A crossover with Mission Impossible featuring Clint Barton and William Brandt .

Scene 1- Clint and Will aged 8 years old

"Please you must help me", the woman had tears in her eyes and a passion that could not be ignored within her voice as her hand gripped around his bicep. Although he was moved the doctor shook his head with a force that rattled his teeth, "they are only boys madam, it would be not be ethical", he told her firmly. The response was the woman collapsing upon her knees in front of him and sobbing more forcefully. Her hand grabbed at his trouser leg and she looked up at him. "I have to do something", she gasped.

The doctor looked through the one way glass at the cause of her misery, two normal looking boys playing in the next room . One was dressed simply in jeans and a tee shirt, the other was dressed up in a costume with a quiver of bows and arrows at his back. That was not unusual as many boys enjoyed playing games about being super heroes. He reached down and pushed her hands off his leg.

Maybe it was this woman who had an issue, perhaps she was even unstable and he should call someone to deal with her. That thought froze in his mind when he saw the costumed boy take an arrow from his quiver and attach it to his bow .He then fired the arrow in a rapid blurring succession at a target far across the room. It hit dead center . "There you can see what he can do", the woman's voice shook as she watched her son. "I gave him that bow a few months ago and already he can do things like that. At first I thought it was just luck but then I researched archery some more and realized how good he was. His arrows go so fast that I can not even see them and he hits the target every time. He is my son and I love him but it just seemed…",she buried her head and sobbed again, "unnatural". She looked up at him again and he could see the worry etched upon her face.

This was a woman who was deeply afraid. Her hands reached up again grabbing his white coat and gripping it intently. It felt like it was going to be ripped apart by her grip. There was something in her gaze that hinted of something frightening to come. He found himself mental toughening his mind to listen to what she had to say next.

Now her voice tingled with sorrow and fear. "I tried so hard to keep what he could do a secret. But he loved archery so much that he was soon in the local park firing at all sorts of things. His abilities drew the attention of the wrong sort of people .He was approached some unsavory sorts, the ones who deal in the pain and death of others They asked his name and where he lived. He ran over to me and together we made for a more populated area. I know they followed us so we spent another two hours winding through street after street before they lost interest. . Men like that would only be interested in him for one reason doctor , to train him to become a killer just like them. These are the type of people who can give anyone nightmares". She stopped speaking and stood quietly awaiting his opinion.

The doctor had to admit her words had affected him , he could sense her fear and knew she had already suffered many nightmares. She was only coming to him now because she was desperately afraid. It was the type of fear that made him pause. Caution made his words sound harsher than he intended. "I understand why you are afraid madam but why are you think that making them undergo this surgery will help. From what I understand they only want one son and not the other",he concluded.

His eyes followed hers toward the other boy who was identical to the one with the arrows. He was in a way saying let them have the one who is an archer, at least you still have the other. It was rather lame but it was a solution that made more sense to him than making both boys undergo radical surgery.

She just gave him a look that said, 'are you stupid' and he knew her words would now be filled with anger.

"Thankfully Will doesn't have a talent like Clint's", she told him through half gritted teeth ." It does not make him safe. Clint does not want to have any part of those mens life of crime". So they will want leverage to get him to cooperate. Will would be the perfect choice. I am filled with terror over what they could do to him". Her whole body shook as she said those words ,the tremors had a force about them that made him wonder if they were caused entirely by fear. " Her next words confirmed that thought." Even though we escaped their attention that time I know I cannot keep my boys safe forever. You see Doctor, I am dying . Soon my boys will have no one else in this world. I know I am the last barrier between those men and my Clint. Even though I will tell him to run I know he cannot escape them forever. But they will not have both of my sons, nobody will".

"If you carry out the surgery they will forget each other existed. Then I will send them both to different states to live and hope it is a very long time before anyone goes looking either of them".

"Those men must already know Clint has a brother", the doctor questioned. "Yes they know. But they will not be able to touch him if they do not know where he is. I would do anything to keep them safe doctor, pay any price", her eyes burned with the intensity of her words. Suddenly this petite woman in front of him was frightening. He did not know her name and he did not want to but he knew the passion within her was permanently burnt within his brain. He could not forget what she looked like now as she pleaded with him.

"I have given every thing I own to rewitre both of their lives. "Soon they will be in different states with new identities". There will be no record of who they are of where they are." It will keep them safe for awhile." But that will not be enough if they know each other exists. They have a strong bond that will draw them together again. They must have this surgery". She twisted the cloth of his coat forcefully tightening it painfully against him.

With haunted eyes she looked back at Clint and watched as he made yet another perfect shot. As he put his bow down his brother came up to enfold him in a hug. It was one of those scenes that brought a lump to the throat . She knew she at least had a chance as she made her final plea. "Please doctor at least give them both a chance of a life free from the influence of those who would hurt them'"

Sucking in his breath the doctor let her emotion hit him with its full force. He admitted he felt swayed though the shadow of his own children loomed over his decision. In his mind he could see their faces contorted with pain as they watched him being taken away. He had no other choice than to say, "I cannot face the possibility of getting caught because it would place my own family in danger".

Falling to her knees again the woman curled into a fetal positon. It looked like she might die right there on his floor. He reached down for her hand but she flicked it off. Turning away from her he walked to his desk pulled out a piece of paper and began to write. He could see the woman still lying on the floor ,a low moan was coming from her lips. She was probably going to be surprised when he said, "I cannot help you, but I know someone who will".

It was almost like he had performed some type of magic. The woman came off the ground with a speed that shocked him. The pained expression had gone from her face and hope had taken its place.

She took the paper from him. "Please destroy this after you are finished with it", the doctor requested.

"Of course", the woman agreed. Then with bold strides she marched from his room collected her boys and was gone.

xxxxxx xxxxxxx

"Where are we going now mommy", Clint questioned as he and Will skipped together down yet another darkened alley. Their mother had told them so many times not to go out into the streets after dark that it seemed strange that they were doing this. "To see a friend", came the reply.

Not totally reassured the two boys followed along, both were feeling increasingly tired and wanted to be back home.

Ahead of them their mother seemed to be searching for an address. Surely if this was a friend like she claimed she should know where they lived. Clint could feel that something was not right. He had a tingling sense that told him of danger . All his senses were like that, heightened and aware, that was why he could hit any target with just one shot not matter how far away it was. To him it was like it was in front of him. There was something not normal about those senses he realized. It made him different from his brother. He stood out from the crowd and others were aware that he was special. He had a feeling what they were doing tonight was related to the differences within him. But he did not speak his thoughts out loud instead he grabbed his brothers hand and held tight.

Finally his mother was opening a door and beckoning them forward. Minutes later they were standing in a small room alone while their mother talked to a tall man.

This one was different to the other doctor, he simply listened to what she requested and asked, "do you have the payment". "Yes",she said. He nodded and told her, "I will not bother going into the reasons why you are doing this. People who come to me are usually desperate for a reason I don't want to know about. I will tell you one thing, this procedure is not reversible. It essentially means destroying the part of their brain that contains memories of each other. They will be lost to each other forever." There is also a chance other memories will be lost as well." They may not remember who you are".

The woman shook again. That was the worst thing she had heard so far. For a second her resolve wavered. She turned away .When her body began to shake more violently she pulled open her purse and swallowed some pills from a bottle. They only helped a little. She knew in her heart that she was running out of time. Others thought what she was going to do was callous. But she could feel something bad coming fast toward Clint and knew that ultimately this was Will's only way to escape. If they forgot who she was then so be it.

"Do it", was all she said to the doctor. Her resolve nearly failed minutes later when both boys were strapped to beds in a crude theatre. Clint and Will wiggled within their bounds, their eyes wide and frightened. "What's happening mother", Clint begged.

She had to tell them because she could not deny them that final goodbye. "No', their dual screams filled the room. Now she closed her eyes tight not wanting to watch as the boys struggled violently against their bonds. The doctor approached them and injected them both with a strong sedative.

Clint could feel his senses failing one by one. He turned his head toward his brothers bed and focused his eyes upon him. Will's eyes met his. With a force he did not know he was capable of Clint tore one arm free. It felt heavy, like some lead balloon and useless to use as a means of escape. All he could do was hold his arm out toward his brother. "Don't forget', he screamed with all the force his failing senses could muster. Then as his thoughts became more fuzzy he could hear more screams around him , they reached a shrieking intensity before they finally faded away along with everything else.

Xxxxxxxx

Scene 2 Loki- set during the avengers

Loki could reach out and feel the mind of the man whose mind he held prisoner. Clint Barton also known as Hawkeye was a complicated individual. He had some talents that would be very useful to Loki and of course Loki would not hesitate to use him. As his thoughts patrolled Bartons mind he found something curious, a scar upon his brain. Wondering if this scar could affect his control of the man Loki looked closely. He almost withdrew seconds later when this intense screaming passed through his own mind.

A deeper probing discovered the screaming was coming from within the scar. It was like something was trapped and trying to get out. It was an intriguing puzzle to Loki. Not wanting anything to stop him from his goal Loki reached out his mind and touched the scar. He felt the pain of the screams echoing around him. What ever had done this to the archer had caused damage to parts of his brain. It would not be something human medicine would ever be able to help. But then of course he was not human. So he simply reached out and began to smooth out the area to promote healing. This would simply make it easier for him to control this human without the emotion ebbing from around the scar touching his own mind. Eventually the human's brain would totally recover and allow whatever was trapped within to break free. Unfortunately Clint Barton was not going to live long enough to recover the knowledge trapped within the scarred portions of his brain.

A few hours later Loki had to take back his thoughts as he felt Barton's mind ripped from his own.

CHAPTER 1

Clint sat upright in his bed with a scream dying upon his lips. It had been that dream again. He'd feel himself strapped down onto a bed with a man holding a needle standing over him. When he turned his head away from that man he saw someone who looked identical to him lying on another bed. He was not an adult in this dream being around 8 years of age. His arm was out reaching desperately to reach that other boy . Seconds later that boys mouth opened and he began to scream .

At that point he'd always wake up covered in sweat screaming himself.

"Its just a manifestation of how helpless you felt when your mind was controlled by Loki", the doctor he'd talked to since his 'incident' told him. That made a kind of sense but there were other aspects that did not," what about my age", he'd asked the doctor ,"why am I so young". "It's because as a child we feel more vulnerable than we do as adults. In your mind you were a young child again powerless to do anything", came the doctors wise reply.

He supposed that was correct but he'd had many nightmares since Natasha had broken him free, this was the only one that repeated over and over. Slowly sliding himself out of the bed Clint left the bed room and made his way toward the kitchen.

There he fixed himself a hot black cup of coffee. "Nightmares again Clint", the voice did not make him jump. Everytime he came out to the kitchen after a nightmare, he'd find one of them there. Many people would envy him for having such a powerful group of all the combined power of the Avengers could not take these dreams away.

"Do you want to talk about your nightmare", Steve Rogers asked gently. He was not as pushy as the others when it came to trying to get details. Clint was thankful for that. Sometimes he just did not want to talk about what Loki had done to him.

"It will get better my frined , just give it some time", Steve told him. From some peoples lips that comment would have sounded rather lame. But Captain America was a man who had his own nightmares. Clint could only imagine what it was like to wake up to find many years had passed. Most of Steve's old friends were dead. At least Clint had not gone through something like that. Yeah you only tried to kill all your friends. That unwelcome thought intruded upon his mind. "It was not really you who did that Agent Barton, it was Loki." Many people had told him that over and over. He placed that thought in his mind again and told Steve, "it is just a dream, in time it will pass".

Steve smiled and patted him on the knee. Even though the conversation was over and he had declared that he'd be fine he noted that Rogers did not leave.

If Clint had looked in a mirror he would have known why. His face was pale which only highlighted the dark rings around his eyes. The gauntness to his features was a testimony to losing some weight.

Steve was worried about him and Clint knew he was not the only one. Natasha followed him about almost constantly even refusing some missions to be by his side. He decided that all the attention was a little too much. What he needed was a mission to keep his mind focused on something other than Loki.

Deciding he was going to talk to Fury right now Clint hurried off toward the showers without an explaination to Steve.

It was about 1 hour later that he was standing in front of Fury's desk . "I really just need something to do other than stand still", he told his boss.

Fury had in fact the perfect mission lined up for Clint. He had been hesitating giving it to the archer as the doctor who was counseling him since his incident with Loki had recommended that Clint be kept off duty a little longer. But it seemed like the length of time Clint was being restricted from duty was stretching out longer than necessary. Nick was aware of the fact Clint was having nightmares but was sure the archer could handle a few bad dreams.

He decided that sending Clint on a mission may be the best way to prove to both the archer and his doctor that things were back to normal. Looking Clint up and down, Fury noticed the dark circles around the archers eyes. It made him pause for a second and decide that before he sent Clint out he'd just run him over the practice field for awhile.

"Go downstairs and run yourself through course A", he ordered Clint. That course was the toughest one they had and usually Clint passed it without breaking a sweat. Not bothering to argue Clint hurried downstairs eager for all the tests to be over so he could get back to work.

He found himself smiling as he entered the testing grounds, he was going to break his last highest score and prove to everyone their concerns were groundless. Loading his bow with his first arrows Clint began to fire as the computer generated enemies closed in around him.

in his office Nick Fury was smiling, it seems the others were worrying over nothing Clint's move were flawless and he was adding a little artistic flair to his shots just to show the others that he was still the best with a bow. Nick brought up Clint's file on the computer and made ready to type the orders that would return Clint to duty. He still kept watch on Clint's performance and expected the rest of his training exercise to go smoothly. Which was why what happened next was such a shock.

"Don't Forget", the words came from nowhere screaming loudly within Clint's brain. They were off such intensity that his next shots fired harmlessly into the walls instead of hitting his enemies. He could feel his hands shaking as he tried to correct his mistake. But it was too late, two missiles hit him straight in the chest and the alarms around him went off.

They indicated that he had failed in a spectacular way. If this was real life he would now be dead. He lifted his hands to his head, "go away", he yelled as he shook his head firmly. "No", the word screamed both in his mind and from his lips. Never before had he had the remnants of a dream touch him when he was awake. It was scary . Looking up towards where he knew Fury was watching he knew there would be not be going on any mission.

Indeed Fury was also feeling afraid as he watched Clint shake his head and scream. Thor had assured everyone Loki's influence was gone. But it was obvious something was still going on that was affecting Clint's performance.

Nothing was ever easy where Clint was concerned but all Nick Fury could do was get him more help and hope that things were going to get better.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- on the edge

Dr Lila Craddock had never had a patient as complex as Clint Barton. He was not a man who opened up about what was on his mind easily. So getting him to talk about his lastest nightmare was not a simple straightforward matter. But then what had led him to experiencing these dreams was not exactly ordinary. How many patients have had their mind controlled by a God and aginst their will commited violent acts against the people they worked for. She could not imagine what he must be going through . The nightmares were just a manifestation of his sub conscious mind processing what he'd done. Her initial scans of his brain indicated that the part of Clint's mind responsible for dreaming was at times hyperstimulated. That was why he had such vivid nightmares. They would only ease when he went through the process of resolving his guilt about what he'd been forced to do.

Reading the latest report Lila ground her teeth. Fury had planned to ignore her recommendation of more down time for Clint and sent him back on a mission. He had found out exactly what would have happened had he not put Clint through the training ground first. Clint would not longer be alive and she guessed that was a very sobering splash in the face for their director. Failing an assessment so spectacularly was not something that had ever happened to Clint before and she was sure he must be feeling very off blance.

The whole process of getting him back to normal was going to be slow and probably painful. As he came into the room she noted how restless he looked. He did not acknowledge her presence just prowling around the edges of the room like a lion caged for the first time."Agent Barton why don't you sit down and we can get started", she suggested. He totally ignored her keeping up his restless wandering.

Clint knew did not want to be here, in this sterile room and feel like there was still something wrong with him. But then again he had to admit to himself that the whole incident with Loki had been extremely unsettling. Realizing that did not make him want to sit and chat though, he still felt best on the move, as though he was still running from the nightmare.

Okay, thought Lila as Clint ignored her request , he was not going to sit still, he was still here in this room ,which an indication that on some level he knew something was wrong. So just move on ,she told herself. He can still talk and move at the same time. "Why don't you tell me what happened down on the testing ground Agent Barton", she prodded.

Now he stopped pacing to look at her for a second. She saw this look of disgust cross his face. He was feeling very annoyed with himself. "I died, that's what happened. One second of distraction and I took two in the chest. If it had been real they would have been carrying me out in a body bag", Clint told her angrily. He could hardly believe that had happened, it made him feel weak and a washout, like his usefulness to Fury and SHIELD was over. Without that life what did he have left. It was not something he wanted to think too much about. So he just went for anger and hoped it portrayed what he felt effectively. Sure enough Lila Craddock picked up on the cue, "I can hear the anger in your voice Agent Barton, but know that at times everyone fails",she said calmly. She wanted him not to look at it like a terrible failure and something he had to run away from.

Clint snorted, this doctor did not understand how good he actually was. So he explained, "I have never missed, ever Dr Craddock".

She was surprised, even the best sometimes had their off days. But to work for an agency like SHIELD he had to be more than just the best. So there was something a little special about what he could do. He probably felt that his failure on the testing ground took that specialness away and made him a lesser person. No wonder he looked so disgusted, it was a high benchmark to set to always make the perfect shot." Ahh, so I guess it was a shock for it to finally happen Agent Barton and you are asking yourself why it happened", she hinted. He started walking again not really wanting to have this conversation at all. Talking about feelings had never been his strong point. But before Fury was going to give him clearance to return to the field he needed the nightmares to end. Talking through what was going on was the only way for that to happen. He walked another circuit of the room before saying anything though. It just felt better to be on the move than standing still. "I know why it happened', he finally told her.

Lila did not say anything, she wanted him to continue without her having to prompt him. He had to want to work with her and not have her drag the information from him and ultimately make it worse for them both. "I had my nightmare while I was awake", Clint continued. Now that was interesting and not something that had happened before. She wanted more information and that did require her to prompt him. "Tell me about it Agent Barton". Clint forced himself to think about what had happened. "I heard myself say' don't forget' right as I was going to shoot at the next round of bad guys', he explained.

Lila processed this and made an assumption, 'so you hear the same words in your dream", she reported.

That made Clint tell her about his dream. "It feels so real, like I can reach out and touch the hand held out toward me. The screams echo in mind with an intensity that I find hard to shut out. I wake up screaming at that point every time" . Lila found it hard to keep looking at Clint while he prowled around the room. Would the man never still still. Maybe it was just part of his fear, if he sat still then the nightmare would catch him. "What you dream tells me is that you feel very vulnerable and out of control. You are strapped to a bed and someone else is doing things to you that you do not like and cannot stop". This must be how you felt when you mind was controlled by someone else", she suggested

Clint did not like to think about what Loki had done to him. But right now he could not avoid this conversation or the feelings it was evoking inside him. "I could not think anything doctor, it was like my mind was trapped…","ahh I see that what you think my dream is reliving", Clint guessed.

Lila smiled at him, Clint Barton was a fairly astute man . "Agent Barton what happened to you is unusual and there has to be some fallout from what you experienced. At night our subconscious mind can conjure all sorts of things that during the day our conscious mind will not allow us to think about. I think your control during the day is slipping because you are trying too hard to shut out your feelings".

"I know you don't want to talk about your experiences but I think these dreams are telling you that you that there is no other choice", Lila told him gently. Clint exhaled loudly and forced himself to slow his steps, he was not stopping yet but he was getting closer to the point when he would not be afraid to stop. "It is just that this dream is so much more vivd and real than the rest. Plus I have it over and over, always the same. I thought that did not happen with dreaming', he told Lila.

She had to think about that one. It was unusual to always have exactly the same dream. But as she said what he faced was unusual so probably what he was going through now would also not follow regular patterns. " I think we have to stop thinking about the usual Agent Barton and go with anything is possible on this one", she explained.

Clint had almost stopped walking, it was beginning to make a type of sense to him. But then his mind would go and throw him another thought that would start him pacing again. This time it was the age thing. "I know you told me that I am a young boy in this dream because we feel more vulnerable and powerless as a child. It is just that, this nightmare is the only one where I am so young." In all the others I see myself as I am now."

He was certainly challenging her and sometimes she felt like she was struggling to find the answers. At times her mind would tell her there was something else here that she was not seeing . But no, she could not get distracted by that thought. This was simply about what he'd been through at the hands of a man named Loki. So she told him, "childhood is that time when we often dream of monsters Agent Barton I am sure you remember many instances as a child when you have been afraid of what is living in your closet or under your bed". She wanted him to think about fear and to face that fear. He was an Agent and a man who had special talents. He was not used to being vulnerable or out of control.

Casting his mind back all Clint found was a hole. "I do not remember much before the age of 8 Doctor Craddock, and past that my memories of childhood are sketchy . There were things that frightnened me, but not like this", he wound off and increased his pace until he was almost running around the room.

Lila was getting dizzy watching him. She wanted to yell at him to stop and sit down but knew it would not work. He was like a caged lion and very possibly this was the wrong type of cage to place him in.

She was suddenly conscious of the fact that this room just screamed the fact that there was something wrong with him. It's walls were whitely clinical and the one way mirror just suggested the fact that someone was watching everything you did and said. She doubted Clint Barton was going to ever feel comfortable while he was here.

"Look Agent Barton it is obvious this is distressing for you and I doubt that feeling that you are in some hospital helps at all", Lila suggested.

When she said the word hospital Clint suddenly found himself back in his dream facing a doctor. But instead of Lila Craddock it was another doctor. This one had a strong sense of menace leaching from his pores. Clnt could feel that he wanted to escape from this doctor but could not. He both see and feel strong bonds holding him down. There were other things he could see, that provoked more terror, scalpels, clamps and more surgical instruments he could not name. He could feel the scream coming again. But it did not cross his lips at that moment because his eyes found someone else standing at the side of the room. She had been in shadows before but now they had lifted and he could see her clearly. A small petite woman, a tad over 5 foot, her hair was blond and these intense blue eyes focused upon him. "I am sorry, sorry", she was sobbing,"please forgive me Clint," Her hand was out toward him but he felt no inclination to take hold. Instead his gaze moved away from her and onto himself. But as usual it was like he was in one place and seeing himself in another. He could still see the scary, doctor and the distressed woman but it was his own blue eyes that drew him in. Now he was wrenching one hand free from the bonds and holding it out to himself. Screams began to race from his lips, no,no,no over and over again. "Forgive me , Forgive me", the womans screams matched his own.

"Agent Barton", Lila Craddock said it quietly at first from a few metres away. Clint Barton had stopped pacing suddenly and was now standing just staring into space. This was what had happened on the testing ground she realized. She tentatively moved closer as she did not want to frighten him and cause him to lash out. "Agent Barton", she increased the tone of her voice as she closed the gap between them.

"No", the sound escaped from his lips and she saw hot tears roll from his eyes. Whatever he was experiencing at this moment was something that was deeply affecting him. A deep sense of compassion rose within her. Clint Barton had been controlled by someone else and unable to stop what he had been doing. Now his mind may be his own but it was torturing him with feelings of loss and helplessness. She wanted to help him.

"Clint", Lila tried just his first name and a gentle touch. He seemed to be staring right through her.

Then just like that his eyes moved to focus directly upon her. "I saw it all again", he whispered.

Inside Clint felt like he was shaken and off balance. When would this horrible nightmare end. Lila reached out and touched him gently ,warmly, "I can help you Agent Barton". Together we will drive these nightmares out of your mind. You can have world where you no longer live in fear".

All Clint could do was nod. Lila saw it as acceptance of the trials to come. "Now tell me about what you experienced just then", she prodded. Clint fought against the images . "Just relax Agent Barton, let yourself feel what you did a moment ago. Nothing can hurt you", Lila touched him again.

Clint forced his mind back into that place, almost feeling the screams come to his lips again before pushing them down. "It was the same dream only this time I could see a woman watching me fight the bonds that held me down. In some way it felt like she was responsible for what was happening. But she didn't stop the pain", Clint told her shakily.

Lila processed that and came to what she thought was the right diagnosis. "It is all still about helplessness Agent Barton. When you were under the control of Loki you could not do anything. But perhaps you might feel that others were watching and not doing anything to help you".

Clint had wondered whether Loki could have influenced Captain America, he was a super hero, a man who had abilities beyond his own. That was the case with Tony and Bruce as well. Lila was saying that deep down he felt angry at being the one who got controlled as well as thinking the others with all their super powers did not save him quickly enough. He had never thought consciously of blaming the others. But perhaps some part of him hidden away in his brain did. This was all so confusing.

"I don't know", was all he all he said to Lila. She accepted that answer for now. "When will these nightmares get better", Clint asked with a heavy wariness. "It is a process Agent Barton that you must see through to the end. "You are going to have to learn not shut out the pain of the nightmares no matter how much you want to fight against them. I think they need to run their course before you can heal."

Lila thought some more, "maybe you need to face Loki again, to see him at a time when you are not in a battle and through a mind that is not controlled". Clint had of course helped to fight Loki once he'd been freed from his influence. It had been partly satisfying to see him taken away. He was not sure he ever wanted to see the man again. "I can't look him in the eye and think of him as being just a flawed human being who also makes mistakes. He's an alien god from another planet", he told Lila with touch of sarcasm".

"Yeah and right now he is in a prison serving time for his crimes. He cannot control you, cannot hurt you". Seeing him as vulnerable may just help.", Lila countered firmly . She knew it was always hards for victims to face the people who had hurt them. In Clint's case she thought that seeing Loki in his cell may just help bring some peace to the archer.

"I'll think about it", Clint decided. He would not dismiss her suggestion. There was part of him that wanted the opportunity to yell at Loki and then after that have a laugh that for all of his 'oh I am mighty attitude' he had fallen on his butt in a spectacular way.

"Alright, I'll talk to director Fury and see if I can set it up for whenever your'e ready". She looked at Clint," I am also going to ask him if he will consent to us undertaking this counseling in a different location. I have a very nice mountain cabin that is quiet that I think you may like."

Clint looked over the sterile walls with disgust. "Thanks, I appreciate that", he told her.

"I'll talk to him now,while you take the opportunity to get something to eat and drink", Lila stated. She knew what he was going through was grueling and keeping up food and fluids was essential for his body to keep functioning at the moment. She left him making for the cafeteria while she made her way to Fury's office. She swallowed before entering. He was a man that could be intimidating just by looking at you. She had to sound assured , like she knew what she was doing and what was in the best interests of Agent Barton.

A few momemts later she was still awkwardly in front of him explaining why she wanted to take Barton out of this SHIELD run insistute. Fury was frowning at her before she even finished speaking. "The problem I have Dr Craddock is that Clint Barton is a dangerous man. The damage he inflicted while he was controlled was significant . I have had to fight off suggestions from higher up that he should be held responsible for his actions."

Lila was feeling appalled, "but he could not help what he did director. If Loki had touched you with that staff then you would have been the one doing the damage".

Fury nodded, "I understand that. Not even once have I wanted to blame Clint for what happened. But I am also the director of the Avengers initiative, it has not been a popular program. These are powerful dangerous individuals and attempting to control them is the same as dealing with any sensitive and at times unstable material. It can explode in your face and turn all the cheers into finger pointing. That is what is happening now that Loki is behind bars." To stop all these people making Clint out as the enemy and going after him I have to assure them he is not still unstable. To do that I have to make sure I am watching him no matter how much he does not like that". Feeling his face screw up Nick let Lila Craddock see his own distaste of the opinions of others. He had always held Clint in high regard and wanted him back as part of his initiative.

"I want to help him Doctor'", he assured Lila. "Then agree to move him out of this place. It is not helping. Keep monitoring him if you must but give him some air and breathing space. If you are worried that he'll be a flight risk then don't be. He was genuinely off balance by his failure at the training ground and wants things to get better. His personality will make moving forward a slow process but he can be healed from these crippling nightmares Director Fury. But you'll have to trust me to do it my way", she sat taller to make herself look confident and assured

It must have worked because Fury said "alright I'll give him approval to leave". Once he had said that she dropped something else upon him. "I'd also like to arrange for him to talk to Loki again at a time when he feels more comfortable in pursing that conversation."

Now Fury frowned at her again and she knew he was about to argue with her. "Are you out of your mind", Nick said it with a definite scorn. "Loki is the master of manipulation, I don't want him so much as even seeing Clint again".

Lila, crossed her arms over her chest. "To heal he'll have to face his demons director, even if they are Gods from another planet. As I understand Loki cannot exert any influence over Agent Barton again. "

"He cannot control his mind, but he can still create an influence, Doctor I believe this is a very bad idea." Nick Fury told her seriously. Something came over Lia Craddock that she had not experienced many times before, a desire to contradict the director of SHIELD. "I disagree totally director , he needs to talk to Loki. If you want to help them then arrange it, without the arguments". She stared him down boldly but did not really expect him to buckle. She was harldy what you would call intimidating.

"Alright I will trust your judgement doctor, but I hope you are reading this right", he told her with a glint in his eye. There was definite unspoken words of you better be right or else..in there. She would pay with her career within SHIELD if something went wrong. It spoke of how much Nick Fury liked and respected Clint Barton. She acknowledged that even though part of her was shaking inside at the thought of the responsibility thy that was resting upon her own shoulders.

Barely 1 hour later Clint was saying his goodbyes. Natasha was nestled in his arms. "Loki left something inside of me as well Clint", she told him. "I have red in my ledger and need to wash it out". She remembered Loki saying that to her . He had seen within her in that instance, who she was, the black Widow an assassin with the deaths of many staining her hands. But she could not dwell in the dark place that was her past. She had an opportunity to move forward and the man standing in front of her had been responsible for that. Without further thought she was pulling him forward and kissing him, deeply and passionately .

Nick Fury had come to give Clint a send off and stopped outside the door as he saw Natasha and Clint in a passionate embrace. He supposed it was inevitable that these two would end up in a relationship. They were alike in many ways. Although he knew he should tell them both that it would interfere with their professional working relations he would instead pretend he saw nothing. Ultimately he wanted Clint Barton back and would do anything to achieve that goal. He just hoped sending that sending Clint away with Doctor Cranston was not a mistake. He was putting a lot of trust in this woman to make Clint's nightmares go away.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- facing the demon

Clint sat beside Lila Craddock in her old Toyota. In the back of the car was one bag containing the personal items he'd need for the stay. It was not a large bag, a testimony to the fact he hoped his stay was not a long one. Beside the bag was a laptop that had been given to them by Nick Fury. At a time of his chosing he could use that laptop to contact Loki. His eyes seemed to be unable to leave the laptop as he thought of talking to the God,not something he felt comfortable doing yet."Nobody is going to push you into making contact until you feel up to it", Lila had noticed his stare and correctly assumed what he was thinking. "How it is even going to happen boggles my mind", she added. How could a simple laptop connect to a man on another planet. "Well perhaps Loki invented the internet then inflicted it upon our world to create chaos", Clint suggested drolly. Lila could not help the snort of laughter that escaped her lips ,Clint could be funny at times. Then she snapped her mouth shut as she realized he might have been serious. She took a look at him to see if he was annoyed.

Clint gave the doctor a quick smile to indicate that yes it was a joke. He noticed she looked relieved. It was quite brave of her to be taking a known assassin off to your cabin in the worlds all alone. But then again maybe they would not be alone. "Is it going to be just you and me in your cabin or is someone else going to be there, a boyfriend or partner perhaps", he asked. This was a very personal question he realized. But he figured he was allowed to get personal. He had to have parts of his life dissected ,so why not know more about the person who was undertaking that dissection.

Lila wanted to keep Clint calm and in balance and if getting to know her better did that then so be it. "I am single at the moment Agent Barton", she told him.

That response made him turn to look at her more fully and she felt a blush coming on . "I cannot see a reason for that", Clint said. Oh boy now he was being charming as well . The fact that she was going to be in close quarters with him made her feel suddenly hot. "Just remember he's mine", she heard Natasha Romonoffs voice in her head. The black widow had come to tell her to keep her hands off her boyfriend just before they were about to leave. Since she was cleaning her nails with very sharp knife at the time Lila took her very seriously. She had assured the redhead that the relationship between the two of them was and would remain purely professional. No matter how close counseling him made them become she vowed not to cross the line.

With that thought in her mind she turned back to driving. Clint lazily looked out the window .

It was another 2 hours before they reached their destination. The city had faded away and a more remote setting had taken its place. There were rolling hills ,decked with tall green trees, a different smell hung in the air, the freshness of pine. Clint decided he was going to like it here.

The 'cabin' was a lot larger than he'd expected, it was in fact a 3 bedroom house with a large garage.

"Here we are", Lila announced as they pulled in beside the garage. "This is going to be your home for awhile Agent Barton. Feel free to go wherever you want", she told him.

Clint looked out at the forest of trees, " there are bound to be good places to practice with my bows out there", he decided. Idly he wondered if Fury was still monitoring him. He'd given the director assurances he was not about to run off but he doubted his word was going to stop SHIELD keeping track of his wereabouts. His mind didn't want to think about what the higher ups in SHIELD had to say about the chaos he'd inflicted while under Lokis control. He had heard a rumour that someone had suggested he be locked away somewhere. That was why he was here now willing to undergo this therapy.

Watching as the garage door opened Clint found his eyes drawn to the old motorbike that rested against one wall. "Wow that looks like a classic Harley", he remarked. There was a sadness in the smile Lila gave him. "It is, it was my fathers". Clint guessed from that that Lila's father was most likely deceased. "Well she's a beauty he must have been proud of her", was all he said. Lila brushed the tear from her eye. Her father had often referred to the bike ,as a she, just like Clint. She thought her father would have like Clint Barton.

"Unfortunately the bike needs a bit of work", ,she informed Clint. She watched his eyes light up and saw an opportunity coming. Keeping Clint busy was a way to keep him grounded and focused. Boredom could be a dangerous thing in a man as highly trained as Clint. Even though the motorbike was very personal to her, she knew she was going to have to let Clint tinker with it.

"You can spent some time working on it, if you want", she offered. Clint could tell the offer had been a hard one and reached out and took her hand. It was warm in his grip and he noted she did not pull away. "Thank you", he told her . She held onto his hand for a second before releasing. "The bike can wait" ,she added," l'll show you the rest of the house then we can have some lunch." Clints grumbling stomach gave all the answer that was necessary.

The room she gave him was large and comfortable. He tossed his bag on the bed and began to unpack. It was barely 10 minutes later that he joined Lila Craddock for lunch.

After lunch came a counseling session that consisted off him talking through all the dreams he'd had since he'd been broken free from Loki's influence.

He felt rather drained again after that talk so he went off to work with the motorbike.

The next couple of days followed the same pattern, talking, eating then working on the bike .Those were the parts that weren't so bad. But every night he'd have the same nightmare . He'd wake screaming everytime , then pad out of his room and down the hall to talk to Lila. The fade outs during the day still happened as well, leaving him feeling tired and drained.

It seemed like he was not making any progress, just going around in circles having the dream, talking about the dream but then still having the dream again.

Clint felt a heavier wariness creeping upon him not matter how hard he tried to shake it off. It felt like he was slowly getting worn away.

Lila felt frustrated, she was making no disernable progress in making things better for Clint Barton. Sometimes she still got the feeling she was missing something important . But she'd always tell herself that going off on a different tangent was not going to solve anything. The lack of progress was simply because Clint Barton was still trying to control what he felt.

He was looking more tired day by day and she knew the lack of sleep would eventually take a physical toll. But she shied away from medicating him knowing it'd just make him feel more off balance. She did relent in using some SHIELD technology though. Fury had given her a small monitor that would record Clint Bartons brain waves in a form that would allow them to watch his thoughts like a movie. It also could help him control the dream. That part had really bothered her. Clint had already experienced control by a type of technology and did not need to feel that type of intrusion again.

But after four days she had taken a look at the deepening circles under Clint's eyes and decided that both of them need to take risks to make any type of progress. Clint would have refused to use the technology at the beginning but he realized that any breakthrough would only come if he worked harder and challenged himself more. So he agreed.

After placing the small round discs on each side of Clint's temple all she had to do was wait for him to have another nightmare.

Clint was pacing his room trying hard not to fall asleep. The nightmares were just too real and he was getting to the point where he would ask Lila to drug him. Getting some dreamless sleep would clear his head he was sure. His eyes fluttered shut and he lurched and nearly fell onto the floor. Dammit he could really not avoid going to bed and dreaming again. He had been fighting hard to not let the nightmares win but maybe getting past them meant surrendering. Determined to take control of the dream this time he sat on the bed then drew up his legs to place them upon the soft down surface of the mattress. He then lay back onto the soft pillow.

Minutes later he was once again in the nightmare. He was sure he could feel the restraints upon his arms and legs as they held him down uoon the bed. The rough material chafed painfully along his skin as he wiggled and tried to get free. Looking down at his legs he could see blood coming from under the bonds. That was how hard he had fought to get free. It had not worked and he could feel his body getting heavier as a deep sleep came upon him. It was not a natural type of sleep being something he should fear. He knew that as soon as he was unconscious the doctor standing at the side of the bed was going to do something terrible to him. Neither the doctor or the woman that watched the proceedings had offered any choice . Sleep was sucking at him hard though and he could not resist for long. Turning his head slightly gave Clint a view of himself strapped in another bed. The blue eyes of this image of him stared into his own. He seemed to be in the same type of pain as Clint could see tears leaking from his eyes. He could feel that scream coming again…

Clint found himself wrenching his mind from the nightmare before the screaming happened. The devices on the sides of his head had allowed him to stop the dream. He sat up in his bed panting heavily. "I hate this", he stormed to the darkness. The walls had no answers for him . But perhaps something else did. Clint did not need to turn on the lght to find what he sought, the laptop was on top of a small table in his room.

Okay maybe he should wake Lila and ask her to be by his side when he did this. But then perhaps that was the problem, he was not brave enough to face down Loki alone.

"Just do it', he told himself firmly. Before he could talk himself out of the act Clint had engaged the lap top and was seeing a picture of Loki inside what he assumed was an Asgardian jail cell.

He stared at the man and felt a smile coming on. It did help to see him there helpless behind a force field. Perhaps it was enough to stop the dreams happening. He was about to break the link when the God suddenly became aware of him. "Well, well, I wonder how they did that", Loki remarked as he looked at Clint Barton. Clint did not answer just keeping up the staring.

"So is that it then Barton, you just wanted to stare, to see for yourself what has befallen me", Loki asked. "Yeah it is kind of good", Clint hurled at him with a smile. Loki appraised him slowly and Clint tried hard not to squirm. "You look tired Barton, something bothering you?", the God asked. That comment made Clint feel suddenly angry, sure that Loki was playing him in some way. "You know damn well don't you", he accused. "You may have lost control of my mind but you left something behind to give me nightmares". Loki came closer to the screen, a mocking look on his face, "why would I bother to play with a puny human", he remarked. "You were only useful to a point Barton. I was going to kill you after I'd finished'. He grinned at the screen with a type of glee that nearly made Clint slam down the computer screen. But no he had to face this down, "then you should have done it earlier", he parried back, 'all that attitude did you no good".

Loki had to concede he was right. The jail was boring and at least this talk was providing some entertainment. He could take a wild guess at why the archer was calling him in what would be the middle of an earth night. This should be interesting . "So back to the reason you called", Loki remarked softly with a smile, "nightmares involving screaming I'm guessing". He turned his back on Clint for a moment, a taunting act. Clint gripped the screen and shook it hard with a fury that indicated that had the God been present he would have been using his arrows instead. "So you are responsible", he stormed. "Oh I am definitely responsible" , Loki admitted," the screaming coming from your damaged mind bothered even me, so I reached out and promoted healing. I dearsay whatever was trapped in that brain of yours is now trying to break free. I hope it is painful", he added for malice.

Clint found himself staring, he had thought Loki had planted a nightmare, but the GOD reckoned he had given him something. He was saying something completely different to Lila. Who was the more trustworthy of the two was obvious to Clint. "You lie", he remarked. Loki stared at him, 'why would I bother Barton, if I was still torturing your mind I'd admit to it and I'd want some sort of payment to help set you free". But perhaps you are just torturing yourself. There is something in your mind Barton and you need to let it out", Loki told him.

Clint held his gaze for a while as he thought over his words. While he did not trust the God his words did have something in common with Lila's . Both of them were telling him to relax his mind and let the dreams come. He decided maybe it was time to listen. "I hope you rot in your cell", he told Loki firmly. "Yeah and I hope your screams go on for eternity", Loki hurled back with a grin. "Well they won't", Clint stated as he quickly cut the link. He knew it would just go on and on like that with both of them hurling insults at the other. Having the last words felt good.

Closing the laptop Clint worked on the calming breathing Lila had taught him. In ,out, breath,in out breath. He lay back down upon his bed and felt himself being drawn back toward sleep.

Soon the nightmare was upon him again. His screams were loud in his ears. But he forced himself to stay in that place and not awaken. He could clearly see his other self also fighting the bonds . "Don't Forget", that other self told him. "Don't forget what", he asked in the deep recesses of his mind. "Don't forget me", came back the answer.

Trapped in the dream Clint was thrashing upon the bed. Never before had he heard these words. If he'd been awake he was sure Lila would tell him the words still related to Loki. That god did want him to suffer. He looked at himself strapped down upon the bed, "don't forget me Clint", the voice now almost sounded different to his own. His head could no longer turn to look at the image of himself, instead it focused on the ceiling .He could still talk though ,"why do you look like me", he demanded. "Don't forget" ,was the only answer he got. "Why not, you are just part of my sub conscious fears. Why don't you go away", he demanded. He was sure the device on the side ofhis head would make this possible and the nightmare would end. "No", the scream ripped through his head with an intensity he had never felt before. Yet his mouth was not moving he could see only his images mouth moving in the mirrored ceiling "Don't forget me", came through strongly followed by the two words that ripped his mind apart, "it's Will". "What", Clint could feel his confusion. "It's Will, I am your brother, don't forget", the other one screamed. A blurriness that had hung over the others image suddenly cleared and Clint Barton suddenly saw that although they were identical looking, there were differences. If he'd simply been looking at himself those differences should not exist. There was only one reason for them.

In his mind the final piece of a puzzle fell into place and Clint Barton remembered what he had lost. He jolted awake as he pulled his mind free. He sat upright in his bed panting as sweat ran from his hair to drip upon his already moist body. "Will", he tested the word upon his lips. The anger came soon after, 'how could you do that mother", he said. "You ripped him from my mind because of your own fears".

Throwing off his soaked sheet Clint got out of bed. He puled the monitors from his temple forcefully and threw them hard against the walls. He would not let anyone make a choice for him again.

On soft silent feet Clint Barton began to get dressed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lila Craddock opened her eyes to her head toward her clock she was surprised to find it was nearly 8 am. This had been the first night her sleep had not been interrupted by Clint's nightmares. She wondered if that meant the choice to use the dream device had been the right one.

She was sure she would find out. Getting up she padded past the bathroom stopping when she heard the shower running. Turning back down the corridor she went to the kitchen and began to prepare breakfast for both of them.

Lia enjoyed cooking and spent time immersed in making the most perfect omelettes. Looking up at her wall clock she realized a bit of time had passed. Moving to put her head down the corridor she listened and heard the shower still running. Clouds of steam were now billowing from under the door.

Deciding she had better check on Clints welfare Lila moved down to the bathroom door and knocked loudly," Clint are you alright in there", she asked. No answer came. Hestitating with her hand on the door knob Lila stated, "alright I'm coming in".

She opened the door and found a cloud of steam rolling toward her. It hit her with a rush of warm air then passed by out the doorway. Now Lila could see more clearly and felt her heartbeat immediately speed up, there was nobody in the bathroom.

Turning off the shower Lila hurried out and ran to Clint's room. Flinging open the door she took note of the disshelved bedding as well as the obvious fact Clint was not here either.

"Dammit , don't do this Clint",she found herself saying as she raced down the corridor toward the garage. A horrible sense of foreboding filled her as she ran.

Seconds later she found out that her fears were correct and both the motorbike and Clint Barton were gone. She could hope that he'd just gone on a ride to clear his head. But somehow she knew tht was not the case. Sinking to the ground Lila knew that Nick Fury was not going to be very happy about this latest development. He would want to know why Clint had fled and for now Lila Craddock had no answers.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4- can the past be my present

When Lila Craddock opened her door the shock of what she saw almost made her faint on the spot.

She had been expecting director Fury but what she had not anticipated was the fact that the Avengers would join him. Tony Stark was the first to push past her, giving her this long and rather peeved look as he passed. She was still recovering from that when Natasha Romonoff stopped in front of her to demand, "what did you do to him Doctor". Her stare was intimidating and Lila stepped back as fear rose up within her. She felt her back collide painfully with the door . Now she felt like a trapped frightened rabbit about to be consumed by a predator. "Enough Natasha", Captain America pulled the redhead away. She shot him a look that would have paralyzed the average man. Steve Rogers though just ignored the death glare and tugged her away.

Lila had only just breathed a sigh of relief when Bruce Banner told her, "this business with Clint makes me feel kind of angry". Since for him being angry was something that would be a life threatening event for her Lila Craddock found hot tears forming.

Seeing them Bruce Banner decided that his choice of words had not been wise. He could imagine she had terrifying images of the Hulk in her head right now. His hulk anger was of course only reserved for the enemy and that did not include the doctor standing in front of him. "I'm not that angry", he assured her quickly.

Lila nodded not trusting herself to speak. She did not feel all that assured that some sort of physical action would not be carried out against her by one of the Avngers.

"I think we all await your explanation" , Director Fury told her as he stopped in front of her . Thor, the God of thunder was waiting by his side. The man was huge and had a rather frightening scowl upon his face. He did not say anything to her though. Turning her attention back to Fury Lila croaked out, "Yes sir, come through to the living room".

Once in the living area Lila seated herself as far from Natasha and Bruce Banner as possible. Her living room felt overly full and it almost cracked with the energy put out by this group of people. Though most of them were sitting still and waiting for her Tony Stark was already busy in front of her computer. Lila took her eyes from Stark and onto Nick Fury as she waited for him to begin the questions. "Alright Doctor Craddock why do you think Clint suddenly decided to leave this house," the director aske.

Lila could feel the others eyes on her as they too awaited her answer. "I would like a little more information before I can give an accurate answer", she replied. There was in fact already some information she possessed but by itself it may be rather damning. That was why she was going to withhold it until she knew more. It would not be a popular move she was sure . Trying hard not to think about the others reactions Lila passed the dream monitors over to Nick. "Agent Barton was wearing these and as you can see they have been roughly removed. I am not sure if the information upon them is still all intact."

Nick handed them to Tony Stark who could link them with Javis's systems to get a full diagnostic.

"How was Agent Barton's counseling progressing Doctor",Nick asked. He did not want to wait for more answers, as it meant Clint was moving further away. As yet he had not appointed a SHIELD retrieval team to search for Clint. He thought there was a chance that the archer was just upset and may return on his own. Clint would not react well to being forcefully dragged back.

Lila wet her lips nervously as she answered, "not that well director, it was a cycle of nightmares ,talking about nightmares yet still having more nightmares. There were signs that the physical toll upon his body was becoming more pronounced. That was why I had to move him forward by using those dream monitors."

"So this was the first time they had been used", Fury clarified. "Yes, the fact they were a controlling type of technology bothered me. Agent Barton needed to feel that he was the one in control and not some device", Lila explained.

"He was previously controlled by an alien technology doctor",Fury huffed. "Yeah well sometimes our mind does not know how to tell the difference between types of control director. Clint only agreed to use them because he too was tired of making no progress.", Lila felt very much in defense mode.

The tension in the room shifted up a notch and Lila could almost feel a dangerous explosion coming. She wondered which of them would attack her first. Tony Stark broke a little bit of that tension, "I have found some baseline data for you doctor. Jarvis is still repairing the others systems , it won't be long though".

Lila moved over to sit beside Tony Stark and looked at the information he had retrieved. She could feel her brow furrow almost immediately.

Fury stood up and began to pace, "anything out of the ordinary happen last night doctor", he asked.

Lila could feel her face get warm and kept it down over the laptop so the others did not see. Stark of course was close enough to see the change in colour of her face."You know something, don't you", he stated. Everyones eyes were suddenly upon her and not one of them looked friendly. Maybe this was the moment the explosion would come. Natasha even stood up as though she was about to cross the room. Steve Rogers hand shot out to lock around her wrist. If she did not hurry up with her explanation then she was likely to be hurt. "Yes I know something but by itself it does not look all that good so I wanted more information first", Lila rushed out." I do not want anyone to take rash actions over Agents Bartons disappearance." That litte speech had the effect of making Natasha sit back down .She no longer looked quite a hostile and Lila marginally relaxed.

Fury folded his arms across his chest. Since this was on the unofficial SHIELD list of things you never want director Fury to do Lila felt panic rise up again. "So what happened that does not look so good", Fury asked . Lila took a breath then dropped what she knew upon them like a bomb. "Agent Barton talked to Loki about 2am this morning. I was not present at the time, just getting the time stamp from the laptops memory".

"He talks to Loki then disappears, I can see why it does not look good", Tony Stark muttered. Thor stood up, "if my brother has hurt Clint again I will rip his head from his shoulders and you can use it to hold your door open",he told Lila. The tone of his voice gave the impression he was one hundred percent serious. It conjured up some not pleasant images in her head. Tony Stark picked up on Thor's mood as well and countered, "as much as I would love to see that, all that Loki could do was talk". "Well he must have said something that upset our friend", Thor rumbled. He really wanted to take his hammer to Loki right now .

"All right calm down"."Why don't we find out exactly what Loki did say", Nick Fury told the God of Thunder. Even though this was a man from another planet who cause Fury some serious harm the God of war simply nodded his assent. Lila handed director Fury the laptop though she did not move over next to him. She was receiving a lot of data from the dream device and making sense of that was her priority.

All the others did cluster around director Fury though, in this big intimidating huddle. If Loki had any sense he would not play games and simply tell them what they wanted to know.

The God was sitting still in his cell and almost jumped with fright at the sight of his brother and the other Avengers. He quickly controlled his actions and fixed his face with his most annoying smirk.

"So first Barton now all of you, do you like to stare", Loki remarked. "So brother you admit to talking to him. I knew I should have killed you when I had the chance", Thor rumbled. "Oh so charming", Loki replied looking so totally unafraid. "Your reach would have to be very long indeed brother". In fact all of you hardly make any impression at all", Loki told them. It was of course a lie.

'You should be feeling afraid", Natasha told him firmly. "Really miss red in her ledger, why should I be afraid, all I did was talk to your boyfriend", Loki told her. "Yes but what did you say", Tony asked. Loki got the distinct idea there was some type of problem. He took note of the fact that the archer was not within the group. It was not to hard to make a guess at why they were calling. "Oh have you lost him then, what a shame", he said insincerely. His attitude was causing a lot of bristling. Thor looked ready to throw his hammer through the laptop. "He settled for growling," tell us right now or I 'll come and drag it out of you one painful word at a time".

As much as Loki enjoyed taunting them he knew Thor was very serious about extracting the information from him by painful means. He decided it was wiser to tell them what he knew. " All I did was gave him something. When I heard this screaming in his mind I reached out and promoted healing. Now whatever was in there is getting loose ."

Fury frowned at that. He was not sure that Loki was not playing them in some way. For Lila though the words just put one more piece in her puzzle. "Cut the link, I think I know what he's talking about", she told them. After turning off the laptop Nick Fury stared over at her. "Well doctor "he prompted. Lila looked down for a minute as she centered her thoughts." I think I have been looking at this the wrong way", she confessed. The stares she got back were frightening. "All of us thought this was about Loki but actually it is not". She could see their surprise and hurried on before the questions could start. "I collected data from Clint's nightmares roughly 3 weeks ago. When I compared them to the ones he is having now I noticed something significant, they are coming from a different part of his brain." Tony Starks eyes were widening as his own thought processed followed her logic. "This tells us what",Nick Fury asked. "The most recent nightmares are coming from the memory centres of his brain", Lila told them. There was silence for a few seconds as everyone mulled over this information. Natasha looked pale as she made the connection, "you are saying that these horrible things actually happened to Clint when he was about 7-8 years old". She was deeply concerned about Clint's welfare. When she'd heard he'd gone missing she'd tried to contact his cell phone and got nothing. The GPS was also inactive meaning they could not track Clint that way. Unless he chose to contact him or they pinpointed his location through other means they would be unable to find him.

Lila could feel emotions surging round her. All hostility had gone from Natsaha leaving sorrow in its place. Rather than talk about their feeling yet Lila simply replied "yes" . Everyone was still contemplating that thought when Tony Stark told them, "the repair work on the dream monitors is finished we can now watch Clints nightmare unfold for ourselves."

They gathered around the computer console in a small huddle. Tony pushed a button and a picture came upon the screen. They could see a young Clint strapped to a surgical bed in what was clearly a primitive type of operating theatre. It was like something from an old horror film. Only this was very real. Natasha raised her hand up to her mouth and she fought sudden nausea as she watched Clint struggle to escape. "This is truly horrible", Steve Rogers remarked. He too looked rather pale. "It must have been terribly traumatic for Clint to suddenly remember all of this". "So maybe he did just need some air", Bruce remarked softly.

They continued to watch with a morbid fascination. The detailing was incredible as was the feelings that came through , Clints terror almost filled the room as the doctor got closer. They could see a syringe with a long needle in his hand. If this had been a movie then it would have been close to Frankenstein.

A terrible thought came upon Nick Fury's mind as he stared at that doctor. The man looked unperturbed by his patients screams just reaching down to tighten the bonds holding Clint's right foot down. As Fury looked closer he could see that Clint's head had been shaved. This doctor was obviously going to undertake some sort of brain surgery. Since this was not a hospital then what he was about to do to Clint was most likely not an ethical act.

Fury could just imagine the type of feelings remembering this had kindled within Clint. He could guess what sort of action Clint would want to take to help resolve those feelings. "What are the chances that Clint has gone to put an arrow through that doctor", he asked the others. Natasha bit her lip, she knew how Clint thought, "I would understand that thought completely. It looks like that doctor tortured him, a bit of pay back is in order", she remarked. Thor rumbled his agreement. "Yes but if he does kill the man then he's going to find himself behind bars", Fury told them. "When Clint killed others during the Loki incident, he at least could say his mind was being influenced. That fact was the only thing that saved him from incarceration. This time although he may be upset he is most definitely making his own choices", Fury concluded.

"Could he even find this doctor, it was a long time ago", Bruce reminded them. "Yes but its not that hard to tap into aging technology then do a search of a data base for a match. Even Clint can do that much", Tony told them. He was working quickly on an aging program himself and soon had the computer searching every known data base for a man matching the doctors description. Steve and Bruce made coffees for them all while they waited. Nick Fury paced the floor wondering if holding off the retrieval team any longer was a good move. Clint though had enough of a head start that whatever happened was basically out of their hands.

"No match found using current image", the computer told them. "This is going to be harder than expected", Bruce muttered."No it's not because while the computer did not find a current match it did find one using the older image", Tony told them. He brought up a picture from a police record. Hardened though they were all of them were they looked away when they saw what was left of the man.

"It's a report from a murder of James Martin Denning" ,Tony reported. "He already known to the authorities because of his involvement in illegal surgeries. He used to be a doctor before he was struck off for performing non ethical acts." He would apparently do anything to anybody for a price".

"They found him dead one day and it looked like someone had performed surgery upon him. Either that or some type of torture. Nobody was ever arrested for his murder and the case remains open even today. Many of the suspects were victims of his failed surgeries", Tony concluded.

"What did that horrid man do to Clint", Natasha asked. "We have no way of knowing for certain", Nick Fury replied. "I remember when he first came to SHIELD ,the doctors did tell me he had some scarring upon areas of his brain. Clint could never remember what had happened to him. So we assumed it was caused by some type of accident."

The others were all still looking shaken so Tony brought them back to their current search. "We may not know exactly the damage done to Clint however we do know that he can't take revenge upon a dead man. Also Jarvis reports that there have been no other inquiries into the location of James Denning. Perhaps Clint may be looking for someone else."

They all moved back to the computer and returned their attention to the living dream upon the screen. Natasha noticed the petite woman watching from the back of the illegal theatre. "What about her?", she asked. Nick Fury frowned a little as he looked at the womans face, "I don't think Clint would find her either", he finally remarked. "Why", Bruce asked curiously. Fury's response was a question. "Look at the face and hair, who does she remind you of". "She looks like Clint , Steve Rogers remarked. "Yes she does", Fury acknowledged," I think that is his mother. She probably died not long after these events".

"His mother watched while a man known for causing others pain operated on her son", Steve voice dripped disgust. "It looks like that is exactly what she did", Natasha acknowledged. She studied the images upon the screen. "We are essentially looking at the memories of a child. What was happening to him must have been traumatic. I guess that is why he sees that image of himself."

The others had to admit that they'd focused too much on Clint alone and not considered the image of the other identical boy on an operating table further down the room.

"Even though this is a memory and not a nightmare about Loki's control Clint would have the same feelings, powerlessness and lack of control", Lila told them. She was about to tell them that's why he saw an image of himself when she stopped. When Clint had talked about this memory the part that had disturbed him the most was seeing an image of himself. Once again she had not be listening enough to what Clint was telling her.

Realizing that though still did not tell her an answer. Then again maybe they had the answer right in front of them and could not decipher what it was. She returned her attention to the recording.

Now the screams of two boys tore through the room. They were so piercing that the sound had to be turned down.

They watched as Clint's mother fell to her knees and sobbed. "Don't Forget", screamed Clint's double.

This was it Lila decided , the clue they had so far overlooked. "What does Clint need to not forget", she asked the others. Natasha pursed her lips, "I don't think it'd be the surgery, that looked traumatic. Goodness knows why his mother even let that man do this to Clint."

"Don't Forget", Lila rolled the words over her tongue." This surgery damaged the memory centres of Clint's brain and removed part of his memories".

Natasha had been leaning forward studying the memory closely. She prided herself on her observation skills. For one second she thought she saw something strange. "Slow the images down Tony", she requested.

They watched as Clint's double screamed ',don't forget', there came static on the image after that. 'A side effect of Clint's violent actions with the device", Tony told them. "It does not matter Tony", Natasha hit the rewind, going back a couple of frames. "Clint looks paralysed at this point, but look at where his eyes are focused".

Fury pushed closer to see what Natasha was talking about. "So he's just looking at the ceiling", he remarked. For a minute he had thought she was onto something. "Yes, its a reflective surface Nick, so how many Clint's do you see", Natasha asked.

It was Steve Roger's who answered, "3". There is Clint and his image, but then there is that other image. Why would that happen", he mused.

Natasha's face was almost pushed against the screen. He others tried to pull her back but she stood her ground. Twenty seconds later she fell back into her chair. Her face was white, "if you look closely you can see minute differences in the two boys. Clint has a little more bulk to his form than the other one. That would not happen if Clint was just seeing himself". She looked over at Lila and opened her mouth.

A burst of static from the computer stopped her speaking. The words that immerged through the crackling paralyzed them all. "Don't forget me Clint, It's Will".

"He has an identical twin", Lila said the words. Nick Fury found sets of eyes upon him. "It's not possibl..., well I suppose it could be possible. Clint could not tell us much about his early years. Now we know why." Nick thought some more, "when Clint first came to us, he was hunted by many unsavory types who wanted to use his talents for their own means". We offered him protection from them in return for working for SHIELD." Clint's brother could have been at risk from being used as bait by those types. That is the most likely explanation for why their mother removed their knowledge of each other."

"It is still horrible", Natasha remarked. "Neither of them were given a choice".

Tony had not been idle while they were speaking. Already he was at work trying to trace a man named Will who shared the same physical features as Clint. "Our friend was not thinking clearly . SHIELD is the best equipped to help find his brother".

"Yes so why haven't we had any type of clues that he existed, Nick countered. "Surely there would be something , like Clint being with us yet seen in another place. Why has that never happened", he wondered out loud.

A little while later it seemed the answer was that Will did not exist as Tony could find no trace within any of the data bases around the world. "Does that mean we are wrong about him having a twin", Natasha asked. "No", said Lila with certainty, "it is the answer that has been in front of us all this time. Only we did not think it was possible". "We may not be able to find a trace but Clint obviously thinks he can ", Bruce stated. 'Yes but how", Tony asked.

"I think he will be determined to find a way", Nick Fury replied. He took a breath. "Okay, I am not going to send a retrieval team to look for Clint. I will however list him as a missing person through police channels. " He will surface at some time. Then we will have a little chat".

Nick sounded more concerned than angry so none of them were worried that the little chat was going to involve yelling. "Do you think it is possible Clint will find his Will, and what happens when he does. I know that you would be concerned about the fact Clint has an identical twin. It raises some issues that may have to be handled carefully", Tony remarked.

Nick Fury was still feeling rather shocked about the revelation and had not yet considered the impact. Tony was correct Clint having an identical twin was a concern as SHIELDS enemies could mistake the two. He had to come to the horrible realization that he understood exactly how Clint's mother had felt and why she had taken such a drastic move to protect Will. For now he would do nothing as it looked like whoever had hidden Will from the world had done a very good job.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5- Close encounters of the IMF kind

When he'd awoken he felt rather detached and strange. "Hello, can you hear me", a man leant over him. Instinctively he tried to pull back only to find he could not move. There was a soft bed underneath him and a heavy feeling laying over his limbs. "Its alright son, you're in a hospital", came the man's soft voice. Focusing his gaze more he could make out the white coat and stethoscope. When reaching for the reason he was here all he felt was a great big hole. Panic began to rise up within him and he struggled."It's alright , you are in good hands. You've been in an accident and suffered a blow to the head. I just want to check on your memory." Can tell me your name", the doctor asked. When he'd reached into his mind there had been nothing but a vague recollection of the name Clint. He did not know a second name ,where he was from or remember anything about the accident. He felt hot tears forming into his eyes. The doctor clasped his hand around his own in a warm firm grip and held on tight, he spoke with compassion, "don't worry, I will take care of you. My name is Dr Barton, Lyle Barton. I am here to help you".

Clint wrenched his mind away from that memory. It was not something the surgery had taken away from him but a self suppressed memory. All that he'd known of that time immediately after his brain operation was pain, that of his injuries and that of loss. They had told him that his parents were dead . It had hurt like a thousand hot knives, even though he remembered nothing of them.

Now that memories of the surgery had emerged these ones were now also being recalled. It was like he was filling in a hole that had lain empty for a long time. Perhaps now instead of causing pain those memories could be useful. Out of the haze of his past recollections had come name of the hospital where he'd recovered from his brain surgery. He could search there for the name of the State where they'd sent Will. Of course , it should be that Will and he had been sent to separate hospitals to recover. But there was a conservation he remembered while laying in that hospital that at the time had not been significant. The doctor and nurse had thought he was asleep, "doctor I do not think this boys injuries were caused by a car accident. He has similar injuries to that other one. That one is so covered in bandages that I cannot even see his face, poor thing. It looks like the same thing happened to both of them ", the nurse concluded. "Tara take my advise on this and ask no questions, I have a feeling this is something neither of us want to know about. Let's just treat these boys", the doctor informed her.

He remembered waking hours later and thinking the conversation had been a dream. Walking around the wards a few days later cemented the dream idea as he saw no sign of a boy covered in bandages. So the conversation was filled under a pain induced hallucination.

But he now knew it was not. For whatever reason Will and he had been briefly together in that hospital. At that time any records kept would be in paper form and not computer files. This would limit the possibilities of SHIELD following the same path. They may think about looking at possible hospitals where he could have recovered from surgery. But they would have thousands of possibilities, he just had one.

Going there would mean taking the risk of flying. But he knew someone who could get him quietly into any State without being noticed. Occassionly having shady friends could be helpful.

Clint pulled the bike out of the trees and back onto the road. He could feel his body aching with wariness. But he ignored the feeling. Climbing onto the bike Clint headed back to the city where on the fringes he'd find the little private airport and arrange his flight.

He kept to the back roads as much as possible. A few times he felt his eyes slide shut as his exhausted body told him it needed to sleep. He pulled back from that sleep, knowing it would only delay him. But his eyes fluttered shut briefly again. He had not had a proper nights sleep in awhile and it was taking it's toll. Do something that will keep you awake, he told himself. So he sang, some of the loudest songs he could remember. It only helped for a while. A few miles further on exhaustion finally caught up with him and Clint's eyes fluttered shut for longer than a few seconds as he fell asleep.

The bike swerved violently off the road shaking Clint awake. He grappled with the handlebars as he tried to regain control. It was too late, his wheel hit a tree root on the road edging and he found himself being propelled forward over the handle bars and down onto the road. Instinctively he put his body into a better falling position. He still hit the road hard and rolled over a few times before he stopped. Clint lay still for a few moments to recover from the shock. Then he gently moved himself ,breathing an inward sigh of relief when he did not feel any sharp burning pain that would signify a broken bone. There was a lot of stinging though and the warm sensation of blood ran down his face.

"Ouch", he said to himself as he carefully stood upright. He swayed for a few seconds before correcting himself. Looking down his body , he could see ripped material around his chest and leg areas, the stinging sensation was sharpest in those areas. There was some blood oozing out as well but it's flow was only sluggish which he decided was not very serious. He could keep functioning, his main concern was with the bike. If it no longer worked then he'd be stuck here until a motorist came by. They'd take one look at him and ring 911 or just take him to the hospital themselves. He did not want that. Quickly lifting the bike up, he found to his relief that he had suffered the most damage. It was painful to climb back upon the bike ,he let the pain be his driving force. Nothing was going to stop him from trying to find Will.

One hour later he reached the small private airstrip where Kit Kyle worked. The man had no love for the authorities because he was a smuggler. He had smuggled people before and Clint knew he could be trusted not to report his latest cargo to anyone. It was also fortunate that Kit owed him several favours as he did not possess the amount of cash that it would have cost him to be quietly flown to Hawaii.

It would take several hours to get there and that would finally give Clint the time to rest.

Kit did not have much in the way of food or first aid onboard so Clint had to make do with a chocolate bar and water. The water was to drink as well as to wash his cuts.

As they got airborne Clint hoped that the hospital records were still intact. He'd go to that hospital in the early hours of the morning and break into the archive room.

For now he just just his eyes and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next day- IMF Mission Cliffhanger, Team leader Ethan Hunt, undisclosed location

Benji Dunn looked out of the window of their hotel at the sparkling waters below. It felt like groundhog day to him. He was doing the same thing he had been at this time yesterday morning. Also he knew that if he looked in Ethan's room he would not find him . Nor would he have to think too hard to know where Ethan was, in the same location as yesterday. Looking over at his open laptop, Benji saw another recall request had come from IMF. That was the same as well. Of course Ethan would ignore this request, he'd go back when he was ready. At the moment Ethan was still IMF's golden boy, so a little bucking of orders would do him no harm. But he could not keep it up indefinitely; IMF would want the debriefing from Project Cliffhanger. It was one that Ethan did not want to give. He was not alone in feeling shattered about their latest mission. Ethan was the only one though that reacted by going off alone.

Shaking himself a little Benji decided that at least one of them had to break the cycle. "Hey you two",he called out to his teammates, "I am going down to the beach". He knew he'd said that before as well, which was why the others just ignored him. This time though he went to the door opened it and went out.

It was early morning and the only people about were tourists staking their claim on the best sunbathing spots and the workers, who hurried by without stopping. Deciding just to go for a walk around the block Benji set off. The cool air was already getting warmer, hinting at another broiling day.

Benj came to a main road and stopped to wait for the crossing sign. He took little notice of the man that stopped beside him. But when that man went to step out into the road in front of a car Benji's arm shot out to fasten around his bicep,"watch out", he said softly turning to face the man. He felt his face change as he caught site of the man's injuries.

Clint had once again not been focused on his surroundings. It was a major slip for someone as highly trained as he was. But the thoughts of Will overroad even his common sense making him take risks like stepping out into the path of a car. Luckily the man beside him had pulled him back. That same man was now giving him the weirdest look. It made him wonder if this man could possibly be a SHIELD employee who had just had his luckiest day and snared the AWOL Clint Barton. It was time to find out for certain, "let go, I'm fine", he told the man.

His words had no effect ,the man still had him by the arm with enough force to stop him moving forward. He admitted to himself that he did look rather rumpled , he had not changed or shaved since he'd fallen from the bike. The way he looked should have made most people want to avoid eye contact . But not this man, okay time for a little more forcefulness. "Look whoever you are, just go about your day and leave me in peace, I am totally fine', he stated firmly as he unwrapped the mans fingers from his arm.

Now the man gaped like a fish who was gasping for air on the land. Clint was about to run off when the next words stopped him. "Will, don't you know who I am", the man asked . He looked like he'd lost something very important.

Now Clint felt like it was he who was gasping. He had thought that Hawaii would be just one step in a chain that would eventually lead to Will. But it seemed like he'd just gotten confused with his twin, which meant that perhaps Will was here as well. Of course this man must see that he'd had some type of accident and be concerned. He needed to tell him the truth, but standing in the street was not the place.

"I don't know who you are", he told the man gently. He got a slow nod of acceptance and another head to toe examination. Now the voice was gentle and the hand that brushed his arm warm and soft, "ohh, well I am a friend. Just come with me okay", the man asked in a persuasive voice.

Clint did not try to argue. He wanted to know more about his brother and a friend woud have loads of information. It would have to be handled carefully of course, beause this friend knew nothing about him. Perhaps he'd even think he was crazy or something. He was sure though the right moment might come along to tell the truth. Yeah the real Will might turn up, then you'll really would have something to say, his mind told him. That really would be a shock, though he supposed it'd make an awesome conversation starter.

The man behind him was nudging him forward. They were heading toward one of the larger hotels that stood along the beach front. Clint ran through ways to say the truth in his mind, all of them sounded rather weird. This was harder than he'd thought.

He noticed that the man ahead of him had his phone out and was having a conversation with someone. The words were not clear but Clint thought he heard, "are you sure".

He wondered who the guy was calling. A few moments later he was standing in an elevator and being whisked to the 10th floor of the hotel.

"Come Will", the man encouraged as he strode out of the lift. Clint followed behind still feeling rather strange about this whole thing. Impersonating his brother would not have been his chosen first approach. But unfortunately things had already started down that path and he felt a little out of control. He had little time to feel more when the door in front of them opened and two sets of eyes gaped at him. An attractive woman ran forward saying "Will" softly as she got closer. She stopped short of him though when the other man put his hand around her arm and pulled her away. "Benji where did you find him", this man asked. "On the main road about to walk in front of a car. He says, he does not know who I am", Benji explained in a rush. It sounded awful Clint realized. This was a truly terrible thing to do to the friends of his brother, he felt guilt rise up. "Look…",he began. "Do you know who we are", the other man interrupted in an abrupt manner. He too had a strange look in his eyes as well. This whole encounter was giving Clint the shivers. Maybe he should tell them now, "no, I don't, I should explain..," he tried to get the truth out but found it hard to know where to begin.

The three people in the room with him were now all staring at him in a measuring manner that reminded him of Fury's gaze. He decided then that it had been a mistake to come here. This was probably not the right time or place to reveal his identity. He found himself turning back toward the door. "Will don't go", the woman protested as she stepped forward. "Stop him leaving Benji, Luther", she requested. That comment made him pivot and he said in his scariest tone, "do not touch me". He was not sure what had made him sound like that but he just had the funny feelng he needed to get out of this room now. His words had the effect of paralyzing the others for a moment. He slammed the door quickly in their faces before they could react and hurried to press the button on the lift. The relief was palpable when the lift doors opened moments later and he hurried inside. He quickly hit the door close button. "I wanted to get off on this floor", the man inside the lift protested as the doors slid shut."You can go down a floor, I am just in a a hurry", Clint told him rapidly. His breathing was faster than normal and he had the oddest feeling he'd just escaped from a dangerous situation. But how could that be right, those people were just average everyday citizens. Maybe his emotions were just a little too out of control. Get a grip Clint he told himself.

"You do seem a little out of breath, is everything alright", now the man was studying him intently and picking up on his reactions. "Yes", he lied glibly not making eye contact. If he ignored this man he'd leave him alone. But it did not work because the man asked. "Are you sure, it looks like you've been in some type of accident". The man took a step closer until he was looking directly at the scrape on his cheek. He was giving his face a type of scrutiny that he found a little unnerving. "I will be fine", he replied hastily. "Maybe you should get checked out at a doctor or something", the man advised," I could take you".

Clint found his heart beat speeding up, he had no wish to be examined by anyone who could reveal his location to SHIELD. Memories of his boyhood and the pain he'd suffered under another doctors care were also too close to the surface. Perhaps that was why he overeacted. "No", he almost shouted at the other man. It had the effect of making the other guy step back and look rather worried that he was about to get a fist in his face. Oh boy he should tone it down a little. "I am sorry, things are just a little difficult right now", he apologized. "That's alright Will",came the rather shocking response. Clint suddenly realized that this guy knew his double as well. What should he do now. He stood paralyzed like a deer in headlights.

"Where were you going", the man beside him asked. His tone was still gentle and face concerned. Clint shrugged, " I don't know", he admitted. Going to the hospital made no sense now. The answers to finding Will were right in front of him and even if he had to step through a fire he should see this through. He knew by the look in this mans blue eyes where he was going to suggest he go. The feeling of danger that had surfaced within him in that room had been real. But perhaps it might be his own guilt at impersonating his brother causing those feelings. Returning to the room could not be that bad after all. He was confident that he could easily handle the four of them even in his less than full functioning state . Still he felt reluctant to be in a room with four people who thought he was someone else.

The guy in the lift with him must have noticed the hesitation, he said softly, "why don't you come back upstairs then, have a coffee and a sit down. Nothing is going to happen to you". The last sentence was said in the reassuring tone of a concerned friend. This guy looked and sounded like someone he could trust and Clint found himself saying,"I suppose there is a lot to talk about". Oh yeah, wait to you tell him about the twin thing, he thought.

The lift shpt upward and Clint felt the other man's eyes upon him he entire time. "After you", the man stated when the doors open. It made his skin crawl for some reason to have this guy standing behind him. But Clint kept his cool. He had this feeling he was stepping into something and his curiosity was rising.

"Look who I found", the man behind him announced to the other three as the entered the hotel room. Again came the stares. It was an awkward moment. "Sit down Will and I'll get you a coffee", the man from the lift told him. Clint sat down and noted the others sat as well, across from him, their eyes still assessing him .A few minutes later a steaming mug was placed in front of him. The guy had not asked how he like his coffee, he'd made it Will style. Clint wondered if their tastes were similar. Without really thinking he picked up a napkin from on the table and wrapped it around the cup as he picked it up.

The made the man called Benji's eyebrow lift a little. Yeah average people do not wrap napkins around a coffee cup because they are worried about prints. His finger tips were not touching the napkin either. "The cup's a little hot", he explained. "Yes heat can burn", the guy from the lift said in a tone that was almost scary. He was the only one of them that had not offered his name. There was an intensity about him that made Clint want to never take his eyes off for a second. Even now it sounded like he was talking about something other than coffee. Don't be silly ,he told himself.

He took a sip of the coffee then put the cup down. Now what he wondered. This whole thing had suddenly moved from him telling them the truth to finding out what was going on. They were far too accepting of the fact he had lost his memory. There was more to this he had to find out.

"You should freshen up Will", Jane broked the moment. "Yes, you look like you could do with a shower or even just cold wash", Luther added. It would be an opportunity to get out of those intense gazes Clint decided. He could also think about his next move. Standing up he followed Jane to the bathroom. He noted that the man called Luther also followed them.

When he'd gone Benji picked up the coffee mug and ran a cotton bud around the rim. He went over to his lap top. "I could not see any signs of a mask, plus the blood looks real. It is a convincing job",Ethan told him. "Yeah, well the amnesia and injuries would fit with what happened Ethan", Benji reminded him.

"Yes that's true Benji, but amnesia is also convenient and a good way of getting information. This guy is a professional, I can tell by the way he looks at us", Ethan replied. Ethan cracked his knuckles audibly making Benji wince. "I will get him to tell us everything he knows, rather painfully", he added. He sounded upset in a way that did not bode well for the man in the bathroom. "Why am I bothering with the DNA then if you are so sure. You could have already got him to talk", Benji responded. He did not protest about Ethan's thoughts of violence toward their guest, he wanted to join in as well.

But Ethan's next words made him think,"because it's not Will and yet…", Ethan broke off and gathered his thoughts. He had to not get himself off balance. He thought about how he'd seen the guy react, "there's an uncertainty there that is out of place with his general demenour. If he's been sent by the enemy then he's fairly brave to take on four of us by himself. It does not make a lot of sense really, unless it is Will".

He looked at Benji and waited for his opinion, "I think you should just hit him hard", Benji stated in a tone that was unlike his usual one. He was right Ethan decided his emotions were leading his head. He'd just take care of this guy. Cracking his knuckles again Ethan was about to walk out and do some damage to their 'guest' when Benji said something that stopped him still. "Ethan I just got a DNA match", the ex technician spluttered in surprise. Ethan came around to look at the figures for himself, "it's not 100 percent", he remarked. "Yeah but you don't get that close unless you are a direct relative. He'd have to be a twin or something and we both know that's not possible", Benji concluded

It changed everything. Ethan hit the wall rather hard just to get the sensation out of his mind. He could not use his fists on Will . "I guess that means we will take him in", Benji remarked. "If we can', he added. "Yeah, he does seem a little skittish. I could use a sleeper dart but then it's going to be difficult to get him out of the hotel without being seen. Plus I don't want the medication in the dart to interfere with anything IMF will have to give him", Ethan told him. "Perhaps we could just give him a lesser amount so he's groggy and compliant but not actually unconscious", Benji stated. "Yes, that is a good idea. I'll try to ask nicely first but either willingly or not he's coming with us to the IMF base here", Ethan decided.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6- My brother the spy

Lila Craddock's living room

Nick Fury felt frustrated with the lack of progress in finding Clint. He had not thought anyone could evade SHIELD. He might have to look at overhauling their system. "Anything", he yelled out to Tony Stark. Tony pursed his lips, he did have something to say but it was not what Fury would be looking for. "There is something a little strange here director. Everytime I ask for information on the results of the missing persons report the system cannot find the report. It is though it keeps getting deleted from the system". Nick Fury thought that did sound strange. "What would cause that", he asked. "well it is what we would do if someone tried to find Clint. But this command is not coming from us", Tony informed him.

Now it was definitely getting interesting. "See if you can find the source Stark, I think I may need to have a chat to whoever is behind this." He meant that he was going to yell . Possibility one of Clint's shady friends was doing this. But Fury would make it very clear he did not find it at all amusing.

Xxxxxxx

Hotel Waikiki, Hawaii

Clint had the shower running but was not standing inside. Instead he was prowling around the bathroom. Using a piece of toilet paper he opened the bathroom cabinet to look inside. He saw 5 toothbrushes in a line. That meant that at some stage his brother had been here with the other 4 people. But he was not here now. The answers to his brothers whereabouts still evaded him. He was sure though that the others could tell him something. There was something about the 4 of them though that set off every sense Clint possessed in a major way. Getting information from them may not be as easy at it seemed. If he opened the door right now he was sure he'd find Luther or Jane standing there blocking his exit. Confessing the truth he decided was now not going to change anything, he'd still be with these people and not in control. They were the type of people who may choose to tell him nothing if he did tell the truth. Therefore continuing with the impersonation was his best choice.

He wasn't going out there yet though as this room gave him a feeling of being close to Will. They had been apart for too long and Clint ached to see him again.

He almost jumped when the bathroom door opened and the guy he'd met in the lift entered. Clint noted in the brief second he could see out of the door that both Luther and Jane were right outside. Then the door closed again and he was alone with the other man. Once again he felt this intense scrutiny. He noticed a frown appear when the man's gaze focused upon his face. It was only then Clint realized he could feel the sensation of something hot and salty running from his eyes. How dreadfully embarrassing , he'd actually shed tears over his thoughts of Will.

But those tears had an effect he did not expect. Ethan had be thrown off balance again to see that the guy in front of him had actually been crying. Despite what Benji's computer had said he had not been thinking of this man as Will. Now he found uncertainty rising again. The problem was that he desperately wanted this man to be Will. However how Mission Cliffhanger had ended was still clear in his mind. It was why all of them had been still in Hawaii feeling like they were replaying a movie, so they could change the ending. It was possible. But he could not make a mistake now. Passing the DNA test meant he'd take this guy into base and let IMF sort the rest out. If a way had been found to fake a DNA test then IMF would get the details. They were also the best equipped to handle things if this was Will. He would face an indepth physical exam, questioning , psychological assessments and whatever else IMF could throw at him. It would not be a fast process but the truth would be known.

The first step was to get cooperation. It was not hard for Ethan to sound compassionate because the side of him that wanted this to be Will was at the moment in charge. "We can help you", he said gently.

Clint decided he did indeed sound genuine even though he still gave off clear warning signals in his head. "I do need help", he acknowledged truthfully. "Good then we can go downtown and meet up with our boss. He is a man with many connections who can help you with anything you need", Ethan stated.

Hmm why did they need to meet with Will's boss, Clint wondered. He did not dismiss the idea though as it just gave him one more person who could answer questions about his brother. "Okay", he said calmly. "Perhaps just you and I could go, we do not need to take all of the others",Clint suggested. He was pushing his luck he knew but cutting down the odds against him was always a very good idea.

Ethan could feel a frown coming, that suggestion had just made him swing in the 'not Will' direction again. He felt a little like he was being played and this guy was one of the best he had encountered.

Okay, if you are that smart then how are you going to get out of an IMF controlled base, he thought to himself. "The others are your friends Will, they want to take care of you as well", Ethan responded calmly. He had not realized that perhaps he emphasized the words 'take care of you' ,a little too much.

Now those warning feeling were getting more intense and Clint had to stop himself from attacking the man in front of him. Think about Will he told himself. You are going to find out the truth. That thought gave him an extra boost of confidence and he felt quite assured saying , "alright let's go then".

His willingness made Ethan feel off balance yet again. He was had been sure a moment ago that this guy was going to hit him. Now he was calm again and looked very much in control. So what was his agenda Ethan wondered.

"Come then", was all Ethan said though as he led the way out of the hotel room and into the elevator that led to the carpark. Benji, Jane and Luther fell in behind the guy that looked like Will.

Clint automatically went around to the other side of the drivers door of the car. He did not really want to be crammed in the back with the others and feeling trapped. "Luther will be in the front with me, you can sit with Jane and Benji", the guy from the lift ordered. "He had the horrible urge to say, "stuff you', but restrained himself and opened the backdoor.

The drive was a short one and they were soon pulling into another car park in nondescript tall building. This one was home to several businesses so Clint still had no idea of what profession Will was employed in.

Next came another elevator ride to the fourth floor. They got out and entered a door that stated, "consolidated insurance", on a small plaque.

No way, his brother worked at an insurance company. Gosh how boring, Clint decided. He wondered why his senses had been so off balance when they had warned him that the others were dangerous.

Entering another lift Clint guessed they were probably going up to a private office. So when a machine came out of the wall and requested, "retinal scan required', he got a rather large shock. Watching as the man whose name he did not know put his eyes over the scanner, he knew his face changed to one of surprise when he heard 'agent confirmed".

The sided of the lift then slid upward to reveal a place that was most definitely not part of any insurance office. Clint just had the horrible realization he'd been right all along and just walked into something that was soon going to spiral out of control. Part of him felt like running then, he had worked hard on evading SHIELD only to walk into another agency's clutches willingly. But the others were right behind him pushing him out into the corridor . He was either going to keep going under his own steam or they'd knock him out and carry him. He knew which one he preferred. Be calm he told himself as he stepped forward.

"Ahh Agent Hunt, I see you have brought Agent Brandt with you, good", greeted a man standing in front of them. He was at least 6 foot 3 and built like a wrestler, he also carried a weapon. Behind him the room was filled with consoles and other types of all too familiar pieces of technology.

Oh crap, thought Clint, now I know why I had all those strange feelings. It seemed that there was one reason he had not thought of as to why no one could find Will, he was a spy. That was for one moment truly surprising then Clint decided that it should not be. If Will had even a little bit of the same talent that he possessed then he would make a great candidate for recruitment for any agency.

Okay so should he just confess now. It was ,he knew the wisest course. They would have to verify his identity and SHIELD would come and get him. Perhaps they could get this agency to tell him about Will. Yes, that was the best move. But Clint had already dismissed it in his mind. In front of him lay the opportunity to find out details about his brother by continuing the impersonation. This environment was not a lot different to SHIELD which meant he knew what to expect.

As yet they had no definite proof that he was not their agent, so most likely questioning and a physical exam would come first. He would have to get out of here before things spiraled too much out of control. For now though the fact he was an agent himself was going to help him pull of the impersonation of his agent brother.

Clint made sure he kept his face impassive as the big man requested, "Agent Hunt, Agent Dunn will you take Agent Brandt along to room C please' "Yes sir", responded the two agents beside him. So that man was most likely' the boss' , he'd come to see.

Clint calmly followed agent them down a corridor leaving the others behind him. He knew they'd all be talking about him as soon as he was out of earshot.

His demenour was now so calm and in control that the guy from the lift who was either agent Hunt or Agent Dunn asked, "this is not unfamiliar to you, is it Will" .

Ethan could sense how at ease the man beside him felt in this environment and felt those conflicting feelings rise up within him again. He kept his eyes firmly upon the other man alert for any out of place actions or reactions.

"No", Clint responded truthfully. He felt that the truth would serve him best now. This man was also highly trained and observant. He would do him the professional courtesy of at least being honest about some things. "So perhaps things are coming back to you then",came the next suggestion.

Ethan hoped this man would say something that would cement the 'yes you are Will" feeing into his mind

But Clint of course was not Will and just said, "not really". That told Ethan exactly nothing. He was getting tired of this game and decided to leave it to someone else to get the truth. He had, though swung back toward the 'not Will', feeling again.

"In here", he opened a door and led not Will inside. It was a standard interview room with desks, chairs and a computer. Clint was relieved he had figured it correctly, this easily could have ended up with him being tortured. "Stay here and the director will come and talk with you", Agent Hunt told him. He then exited the room and Clint heard the unmistakable click of a lock bolting itself shut behind him.

So he was stuck in a room in the midst of a secret agency. This place was not somewhere known to SHIELD, otherwise they would know all about him. That should be a worrying thought. But all that Clint was focused upon was information. So how easy was it going to be to get details about his brother out of that computer. He looked about trying to see if he could pinpoint the location of the camera he was sure was watching his every move. They were sadly mistaken if they thought they had snared Clint Barton like a rat in a trap. He'd get what he wanted then escape in a spectacular fashion that would make him truly memorable. Clint had several talents that could be very useful in this type of situation. One of them was the ability to adapt any thing he found for another purpose. Already he could see a few common everyday things that he could use. The trick would be to do things as discretely as possible.

Clint was right about being watched. Jane, Benji, Luther , Ethan and the big man called Director Frazer Martin were all watching him on a console. Ethan joined them a few moments later."Well, I can't see a mask either Hunt", Director Martin mused, "how can you be sure that is not Agent Brandt'.

"Agents Dunn's DNA test says that it is, Ethan acknowledged," but I am not convinced". "Sometimes he acts all vulnerable and unsure and at other times like a well trained agent. He is comfortable and familiar with these surroundings. That is what I can say for sure".

"We have had to squash a few missing person reports about Agent Brandt that were filed by unknown people", Director Martin told Ethan. "So someone is making it look like he's out there somewhere waiting to be found", Benji guessed. "They are hoping someone will find him wandering about just like we did and report it to the authorities. "Maybe it is him Ethan", he concluded hopefully

"You know I want it to be Benji", Ethan told him with passion. They continued to watch the man in the room as he had touched the table legs, looked under the table and lifted up the chair. He kept his back to the camera most of the time but all of those action were nothing too significant. Then he went over to the computer and activated the screen. Ethan held his breath, the next few seconds would prove one way or another if this was Will.

Clint typed in Agent William Brandt and waited to see if the computer gave him any information. All that happened was a funny light that scrolled across the screen and shone in his eyes in an almost painful manner. He was wondering what that was about when the computer informed him, "no retinal match found system shutdown in progress". Seconds later the same voice announced, "intruder alert, Lockdown initiated". Oh crap, thought Clint again. Now trouble really was about to descend upon him. He had a few minutes to act. Keeping his eyes on the door Clint readied himself to attack whoever came to get him.

"So Agent Hunt tell me how he passed a DNA test then fails a retinal scan", Director Martin asked. There now seems to be no doubt that is not Agent Brandt. We must find out who he is and what he wants".

"That man is the only one who can tell us how he faked that test director, I truly thought it was not possible. He was only brought here when he did pass the test", Ethan paused. "What is his motive, it is not the best move find yourself held captive in the midst of IMF.' He could have tried to take us on in the hotel but didn't. He wants something but I do not know what."

" I agree, there must be some motive we are not seeing". I will have a couple of agents deal with him", Director Martin decided. Ethan had felt his anger mounting as they had talked. Nobody should dare to impersonate Will. He quickly offered ,"I'll inject him with that low dose drug and then haul him off to the interrogation room". He of course planned to hit him a few times first though he did not say that to the director

Director Martin could sense how he felt and decided he did not care what Ethan Hunt did to the fake William Brandt ."Very well Agent Hunt, I'll let you have the privilege of dealing with him ",he agreed. "You'll have to use your code to override the door locks . Lockdown will ensure that man cannot move from that room. Once he's safely in more secure custody and we know he's not got any help on the outside I'll override the system". Ethan went down the corridor cracking his knuckles as he went.

"Excuse me sir", another agent approached the group. "We found another missing person report on Agent Brandt in the system. When we went to delete it, we got back a coded message". I think you may need to come and see what it is about". Martin nodded, "right, the rest of you stay here, he added as he left"

He went off to his office with Agent Amber and activated his console. On the screen was a tall dark man who had an eye patch over one eye. He could see various other scars visible on the mans face as well. Director Martin found himself swallowing hard. "My name is Nick Fury I am the director of SHIELD", the man introduced himself. He had heard whispers and rumours about SHIELD, some were almost akin to a type of fantasy story. They were legendary and Director Martin had to shake off the feeling of being small.

"Director Martin, IMF", he introduced himself. Now it was Nicks turn to raise his eyebrows. He had heard of the Impossible missions force, well mainly it was single words like crazy and insane. This was going to be an interesting discussion.

Director Martin decided to get to the point, "why do you keep initiating a missing person report on my Agent", he asked. Nick found the frown appearing again, "your agent", he prompted. "Yes, why are you looking for Agent William Brandt", Director Martin clarified.

"He's an agent", Nick could not help the splutter of surprise. No wonder they had no been able to find any trace. He should have thought of that angle. His console had static running across it and Nick shook it before he continued the conversation.

The static was caused by Tony Stark eavesdropping on the conversation. Not even Steve Rogers had offered any protest at his tactics. All of them were now feeling excited, because it looked like against the odds they had found Clint's brother.

"Yes, now answer the question", Director Martin insisted boldly. It may not be the best approach to talk to the director of SHIELD in that manner but he wanted to make it clear that the man was stepping into his territory. Fury did not take offence, " I am not looking for Agent William Brandt", he stated clearly. "Actually I am looking for his twin brother, an agent of mine, Clint Barton.

Frazer Martin felt shock roll over him like a wave, "Brandt does not have a twin brother", he stated. Fury just tapped a few buttons and let part of Clint''s file be viewed. That made a few things fall into place for Director Martin. "Director Fury I think your agent may be here', he stated.

"Whoopee",came out of the console. Fury ground his teeth, that sounded a lot like Tony Stark. "Excuse me for just a minute", he said to Director Martin.

In Lila Craddock's living room Tony was doing a little dance, "it's a happy ending", yelled out ," we found both of them". He noticed seconds later tht his console went blank as Fury found his eavesdropping device. He did not care though because it seemed he had all the information he wanted.

Back in the Hawaiian IMF base Ethan Hunt drew I na steading breath and twisted the sleeper ring around on his finger so the needle was facing outward. That done he unlocked the door.

Clint stood ready to act. As the door opened he ,in one smooth move threw the tiny balls of metal he'd gathered using his belt buckle from the chair and desk up at the security camera. He'd learnt this trick from one of the many criminals SHIELD had apprehended. The balls acted like missiles piecing the screen of the camera and frying the picture for the people on the other end. They would still be able to hear but that may not tell them what was going on in this room.

Of course Clint had known who was going to come into the room. It was always going to be between this man and him.

Ethan did not just walk into the room, he used the sides of the walls to give him traction and propel himself upward . He was aiming at not Will's injured side. Clint had never seen any agent enter a room with an enemy in a normal manner so was prepared for Ethans action. As Ethan went sideways, he bent his body in half and slid under the table ,then came up on the other side. He managed to catch hold of the agents leg and pull him down. Now it was Ethan who was twisting around trying to get the needle into position and strike the other man. He found a hand locking around his bicep hard and forcing his hand away. The ring fell from Ethan's finger. Not letting that stop him Ethan scissored his leg upward as he tried to kick the mans legs from underneath him. The legs though were no longer in the same position.

This guy was good, he acknowledged as he hit the ground.

Clint could not give him a chance to get up. He threw all his weight upon the other agent and then locked his arms around his neck.

Ethan recognized the move the other man had used, classic either choke to death or render unconscious. He threw his weight upward, trying to shake the other man off. Clint found himself moving sideways onto the injured part of his torso. He sucked in his breath in pain. Seconds later he felt his hands forced his hands off the other man's neck.

In the control room Benji, Jane and Luther were agitated as they heard the clear sounds of fighting coming from the room where not Will was being held. It sounded like Ethan was having a few problems dealing with the guy. Because of lockdown they could not render any aid.

"What do you want" , Ethan demanded as he threw another punch at the guy. Clint caught his arm and pushed him backward. "Only one thing",he stated as he scissored his legs upward in an effort to knock the other man over

Ethan slid under him and kicked him in the back ellicting a groan, "you are stupid if you think we were going to tell you anything", he stated firmly, as he prepared for another kick. Clint captured his leg and twisted it sideways ,aimed a punch at his side then shot his own legs up and locked them around his opponents neck. He pulled him down onto the ground hard. Ethan struggled, acknowledging that this guy was very strong, "so how'd you fake that DNA test', he bandied as he endeavored to launch himself upward.

Clint made sure he sat on him firmly pinning him to the ground with his arms trapped under his body. He put both hands around the mans neck and squeezed". Clint of course did not really want to hurt another agent. But he knew this was his only chance to findout the truth about Will. "The only thing Iwant to know is," he stated as he looked into his opponents eyes ,"where is Will".

"What",Ethan had not expected that to be the question this guy wanted to ask. But a bigger surprise was about to come, "the only reason I can pass a DNA test, is that I am directly related. Will is my twin brother. I only found out he existed and want to desperately find him." Clint moved his hands from Ethan's neck but did not let him up, "so please answer my question", he begged.

In Lila Craddocks living room Director Fury came and sat down in a chair across from the remaining Avengers. He did not look happy they noted. "You did not find one of them", Thor hinted. "Yes, I did find both of them. But I also found another reason why we could not trace Clint's brother", Fury took a breath.

In room C of the Hawaiian IMF base Ethan Hunt took a breath. "Will was disavowed two days ago", he replied, "IMF believe he is dead."

'


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter7- where there's a Will…

When you are an agent, you know there will come a day when you have to make a hard choice. This was that day. The sky had that beautiful blueness with just a few white fluffy clouds scattering across, there was barely a wind. It was the perfect day to lie back and relax. Instead he was running with his breath sucking out in short gasps as he got to the end of his endurance. It was time to stop. Slowing down, he turned to wait for the men behind him to come into got out his line of sight. He raised his gun and aimed it toward the rise in the clifftop, they'd come up any minute now. There were only two bullets left so he'd have to be very accurate. Of course since there were 5 men, his bullet would only have limited effectiveness. But he only needed them to buy him some time.

"Saturn, where are you", Ethan's question came through his earpiece. It was a code name that Hunt just loved to use for some reason he could not understand. Even though he was in mortal danger Will had felt a smile forming as he replied, "Uranus, I am in position on the clifftop with 5 hostiles on my trail".

"What, Will no", Ethan did not usually make the mistake of using his name , it spoke of how flustered that comment had made him feel. "This is our backup plan Uranus, now see it through", Will demanded.

"No", it had been truly incredible, that well trained super spy Ethan Hunt had just uttered that word. This was not the time or place for sentiment, "do it ", Will shouted. He saw a shadow appear on the rise of the cliff and knew he was about to get visitors. Running was out of the question, because the cliff ended abruptly a few feet away, with jaggered rocks and the sea below. One of the men came up the rise into his line of sight. "Do it now", Will screamed.

"So I did", Ethan told the man beside him. He believed this man was Will's identical twin, even though he had never heard of him. Nobody would make up a story like that. Plus it fitted with the facts as well as the Will,not Will feelings that had risen up from the first moment they'd met.

Now the two of them had stopped hitting each other and told each other their names Ethan was giving Clint the details of what had happened to Will. He did not care that it was classified and that meant you did not share even with a relative or another agent. Telling the truth was helping him deal with the emotions he'd tried to hard to keep back. Ethan did not keep the tremor from his voice or stop his hands shaking. He let the other man see how affected he had been.

"The 5 men were all part of a terrorist squad that was using a cliff top home in a remote place in Hawaii as a weapons cache as well as a base to use the internet to recruit followers from all around the world". "It was always our plan to destroy the home and the weapons with it, but not..",Ethan paused and rubbed his eyes. Clint could see the tears. Without thinking about it he placed one hand on the other man's arm, softly. Ethan did not shake the hand off , this man should be hitting him again not comforting him. It was his fault after that Will was lost. He cleared his painfully dry throat and managed to croak out the rest of the story. "We imbedded a new type of explosive device within a certain part of the cliff face. Setting off those charges would bring down the cliff and take the home with it. I just never intended Will to be standing on the cliff at the time I detonated."

He swallowed a few times and shook off the sensation to just break down and sob. He'd held it together so far even though he knew the cracks were showing. "The mission had gone wrong and we had not being able to eliminate the men . They were about to fly out to an unknown destination and continue their operation from there. "So Will ignored my orders and grabbed the briefcase where they kept a device listing all their contacts. They went after him to get it back. He led them to the clifftop and told me to detonate." I did not want to do it", Ethan whispered. Clint felt his own tears welling up as he saw the man beside him struggle with the decision he'd had to make. Silence fell between them, as both of them thought of Will.

Director Fury had also fallen silent as he reflected on the unfair turn of events. Clint was going to need even more therapy. He had to get him back first though. "I'll arrange a transport to come and retrieve my agent". He told Director Martin. Martin crossed his arms, "your agent was impersonating one of mine Director Fury. I should be able to deal with him how I want". In truth Martin was feeling very embarrassed that Clint Barton had managed pull off the impersonation and get into the heart of an IMF base. He'd have some explaining to do to the Secretary when he found out. So he was not inclined to just let Clint Barton walk back out . He thought about Hunt in the interview room with Clint and decided not to mention how he was dealing with the SHIELD agent.

"He was not there to steal all your secrets Director" , Fury countered, "all he wanted was information on his brother." "Yeah well telling us the truth was a better way to achieve that", Martin stated. Fury admitted to himself that yes that was the better way if Will had been a normal person. But he was an agent as well and Fury knew that changed a few things. "All you would have given him was the standard, "your brother died in the service of his country line", Clint deserved more than that." He has done no real harm director", Fury remarked.

It was at that point though Benji Dunn decided to add a little something into the mix and made sure they could both hear the sounds of fighting coming from room C. Benji had no idea where Director Martin was right now or who he was talking to, all he did know was that it seemed that Ethan was getting his ass kicked in a major way. "Sir", he stated in a voice that wavered a little," Agent Hunt and the imposter are getting very physical. It sounds like he may need some backup".

Fury did not like the sound of that. "Just call him off, tell him I order him to stand down", he told Martin. "Then you do the same to your agent".Director Martin was confident that Agent Hunt could handle the imposter, possibly he was just letting him think he had the upper hand. He had not intended to sound smug but it came out that way anyway.

"My agent is highly trained and yours is injured I daresay he will regret ever pulling off the impersonation". Fury felt a moment of anxiety rise up, "Clint is injured, how did that happen".

"Martin shrugged," that was not down to us director, we found him like that", he replied. "He is with my most senior field operative who is still recovering from the loss of his team mate. He does not take kindly to anyone trying to take his place. " I can understand exactly how he feels", Martin told Fury.

Okay they were all a little sensitive Fury decided. They needed to get over it. A splash in the face with a bucket of cold water usually does the trick. In this case the cold water was a little piece of information. "Your Agent is not just dealing with any agent he is with one of the Avengers, Hawkeye", he stated. That made Director Martin have a few doubts. Then after the doubts came a few possibilities, like keeping the Agent himself and having him pretend to be Will Brandt. Fury saw that moment in the other mans eyes and made sure he put on his best no nonsense tone. "I demand", Fury put heavy emphasis on the word," that you call them off ,then return my agent", he stated. "We do not need any trouble between agencies Director, there is enough fighting with our enemies".

That was true, though Martin still felt uncharitable. Fury tapped his fingers louder as the delay stretched onward, "perhaps I better call your secretary and speak with him", Fury stated. So now he was playing hardball Martin thought. He knew though that the secretary would not want trouble with SHIELD. Gosh how he hated losing this battle. "Alright director, you win", he conceded.

"I didn't think it was a fight", Fury muttered. Martin was about to make orders of his own when Agent Dunn informed him, "sir it has now gone totally quiet in the room". "Very well, I shall override lockdown and well go and see what has happened. ' He looked over at Fury," I'll send your agent back ASAP director", he stated.

Benji, Jane and Luther all joined Director Martin in hurrying down the corridor to interview room C. "That guy was spouting a lot of rubbish about being Will's identical twin", Benji told the director as they ran. It had been the most unique conversation he had ever heard. Nobody had ever made up a story that good before. "It is true", came the rather stunning reply from the man in front of them.

"Wow", Benji declared. That word really didn't describe the situation but it was enough for now.

The director tapped his code into the door lock and hoped he was not about to find two unconscious agents or worse one dead SHIELD agent. That would be very hard to explain. When the door swung open he stood there stunned at what he did see.

"Where are they", Benji remarked as he stared into the very empty room. Martin grumbled as he checked the memory centre on the door lock. "Hunt used his emergency code to override the door locks", he stated. He ground his teeth as more information came onto the screen of the computer in room C. "It looks like he has taken Clint Barton and left the building. I have no idea what has gotten into him".

Martin's feelings of getting back at the SHIELD agent had faded . Now nerves were taking their place as he realized he now would have to say he'd lost their agent.

Now Benji knew that the impostor had been speaking the truth he had a fair idea of where Ethan would take him. "I dearsay Ethan had taken him to the clifftop Director. So he can see for himself exactly what happened."

Dunn had just saved him from a second embarrassing situation. He would give SHIELD the location and let them retrieve their agent .

xxxxx

"It's up this way, Ethan told Clint. He had flown with the other man in a helicopter to as close to the clifftop as they dared go. Now they stood together on the rise about to visit a scene of devastation. Ethan knew Clint would get a shock as they stepped over the rise of the hill. He found his hand touching the other mans arm lightly.

All Clint could see was the evidence of some horrible disaster. Where a solid cliff edge would have been there was now a gaping ragged hole. Pieces of masonry wood and fragments of glass, littered the ground around their feet. It looked like the aftermath of a tornado. Walking through the pieces of house scattered around them Clint ventured close to the cliff edge and looked down. The rest of the house lay there shattered and broken into many pieces.

He stood in silence staring at the devastation and trying not to think of how broken Will could have ended up .It took him three tries of clearing his throat before he could finally speak. "I can see why your agency thinks Will is dead', he croaked. He found himself studying Ethan Hunt in an intense manner for a few seconds. "From how you have behaved throughout my impersonation of Will I can sense that you feel differently", Clint remarked. He had this small spark of hope within him and did not want Ethan to snub it out. "We did not find Will's.., Ethan broke off for a second not wanting to refer to the painful details.. ' Clint understood and told him gently ,"You can say the word body, you know". "Yeah", Ethan sighed. "We did find what was left of 3 of the hostiles. I have been to this place every day since it happened searching for any signs of Will and found nothing". Clint I want to believe he is still alive but…",Ethan just gestured at the surroundings to make his point that he did not know if it was possible.

Clint did not know either but he was determined to find out. "How long did he have from the moment the hostiles were closing in until you detonated", he asked Ethan. "A matter of minutes Clint, he would have been trapped up here, with nowhere to go. He was almost out of ammunition as well"." Running was never in Will's mind, if he was making the sacrifice play then he would have made sure he took them with him", Ethan told him sadly. "Yet you still hope Ethan. Will must be something special indeed for you to not just accept your agencies view and return to your base", Clint remarked. He knew how things stood if you lost an agent in the field. You were expected to move on fairly quickly . Danger and death were a regular part of each mission and you could not outrun death forever.

Ethan rubbed his eyes. "Will was, is, an annoying pain in the ass," he smiled when he said that. "He has challenged me more than any agent I have had as part of my team. Yet I find that I don't mind the challenge, Will would walk through fire to save me. He has become like a little brother to me". Ethan found the smile forming again. " He would not want to die", he concluded.

Clint nodded, he knew he would not have wanted to die either. So what would he do if he was in Will's place. It only took him a few seconds to realize Will only had one choice. "There is one way to escape", he told Ethan. Ethan followed his gaze and found that lump in his throat again. "I don't know if Will could do it", he told Clint.

"Not even to save his life",Clint bandied back. Ethan considered that then nodded, "he might have made that choice",he stated. "Then we need to make that choice as well", Clint told him."We both know that agencies will not spend resources or money searching for an agent if it is highly probable they are dead".

"Even if we could convince them that survival was possible they'd still muck about talking for ages before they took any action. If Will is still alive then we have to act now". Clint turned to Ethan, "I will do it alone if I have to, but I think you may be the type of person I can depend upon to take a crazy risk. "So Ethan Hunt will you do it".

Ethan did not even have to think to know what he was going to say. He had too had a burning passion to find out one way or another if Will was dead. Maybe the method Clint had suggested would not have been his first option but hell why not. "Yes", he told Clint.

Getting out his phone Ethan made a quick call to Benji. "Ethan are you alright", was the first typical question Benji asked. Ethan did not mention the numerous bruises he sustained in the fight with Clint. "I am fine Benji, he stated. "Clint Barton is here with me and well we have decided to look for Will".

Back at the IMF base Benji found himself feeling confused, "you have been looking for two days now Ethan. There has been no sign of him, he replied. "Well I am trying a new method of searching", Ethan took a breath, he knew exactly what Benji's reaction was going to be as he told him the plan. "Are you frigging out of your mind", Benji stormed. "Yes, Ethan stated as he hung up.

"Do you want to call anyone", Ethan asked as he held the phone out to Clint. Clint knew exactly who to call. "Tash it's me", he said seconds later when Natasha Romonoff answered. "Clint, we know what's been happening", came Natasha's reply. He was not surprised that SHIELD and IMF had been talking. "I am sorry about what happened to Will", Natasha continued. "I am not sure he is dead Natasha", Clint interrupted her. "That is why I am calling to tell you I am going to look for him".

"Look for him, Clint I don't understand. IMF tells us they did not find his body but after what happened", she paused. "I know it is hard to accept Clint but there is no way he would survive that", Natasha said as gently as possible. "There is one way Tash and I am going to follow his path", Clint told hung up seconds later when Natasha swore at him down the phone.

"You really want to do this", Ethan asked as he looked over at Clint. "You are not in full functioning capacity. Neither of us want to get injured or die, that would not help Will".

Clint just nodded and held Ethan's gaze. "I won't think less of you if you back out", he stated."No, I am not backing out", Ethan told him firmly. He had just wanted to test Clint's resolve or maybe your own Hunt ,his mind threw back at him.

"Then lets do it", Clint stated. "On three". Clint took a steadying breath "one, two", another breath, "three". Side by side Ethan Hunt and Clint Barton mirrored the last action they believed William Brandt had taken. They ran faster than they had before imagining that 5 armed gun man were behind them. As the cliff edge loomed up they did not stop. Seconds later they were suspended in the air before finally plummeting down towards the sea below.

Xxxxx

Will Brandt 2 days ago..

It was funny that this time there had been no hesitation, Ethan had not had to scream jump, he did it all on his own. He tried hard not to think to much about what was going to happen to him just concentrating on running. Bullets screamed passed him as the men behind him tried to take him out. He held tight to their all important briefcase and ran even faster. They probably thought he was going to stop before the edge, but of course he didn't. As his feet hit air Will had that moment when life flashes before your eyes. He found he had no regrets.

The air swished around him as he fell toward the waves. His momentum meant he was not, thankfully going to plow straight into the rocks. Still he knew the sea was probably going to feel equally as hard considering the height he was falling from. Indeed pain shot through him as he hit the water. The coldness tightened his diaphragm and nearly made him whoosh out the breath he was holding. Ignoring the pain Brandt felt himself go under the water, down deep then surface like a cork out of a bottle. He hit the surface spluttering. There was barely time though to celebrate still being alive. He knew Ethan would detonate the device any time now. So he swam, ignoring the pain of each protesting muscle and concentrating on getting far away from the cliff as possible. He counted in his head and noted that it was a mere 120 seconds later that the expected detonation came.

The sound was like a massive pile up of cars on the motorway, an intense screeching of glass, steel, wood and earth. Heat bushed the back of his body as the force of the blast created a fire ball. Then came a wave as thousands of pieces of cliff and house were forced into the ocean. He dove straight down at that point trying to avoid the pieces of house and cliff that fired down upon the water like missiles. There was a lot of them though and some hit painfully into him. His chest was feeling heavier by the second as his body craved for air. His body was pushed through the sea as the momentum of the underwater wave carried him along. Tears leached from his eyes as he tried to hold on longer and keep his body submerged. It was no use though because he could not hold his breath indefinitely. He surfaced gasping as more missiles dove at him. Luckily the pieces that hit were not that large. They still caused some bleeding gashes on his arms legs and head . He tried to keep swimming outwards, avoiding the still falling debri, his body though was failing him rapidly. Spying a large piece of wood floating a short distance away Will used his last bit of energy to make it there. Then he dragged his exhausted bleeding body on top of the wood. Looking over at what was left of the cliff Will was surprised that he could barely make out the coast line. The force of the explosion and the current were carrying him further out to sea. He was simply too exhausted to even make the attempt at swimming back. Will looked out at the lonely grey sea that stung at his wounds with fierce intensity. He was alive but alone and drifting away from all help. Will felt despair fill him.

He would have felt worse had he known that a couple of hundred metres away from him two other men were clinging to a piece of house. They too were being carried out to sea. Hatred filled their hearts as they saw everything they had worked so hard to achieve explode out from under them in one firey second. Now all they had left was revenge and if they ever made it to a shore they would find someone and make them suffer.

The sharks who smelt the blood of the wounded as it drifted upon them did not think much of suffering. Hunger was all that filled their mind as they set off in pursuit.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8-desparation

"You have to initiate a search for Agent Hunt", Benji told Director Martin. "Really why do I have to do that Dunn", Martin replied firmly. "Agent Hunt knows IMF's view on the odds of Agent Brandts survival. He is undertaking this mission entirely on his own". Benji's mouth fell open in disbelief , "Ethan has spent years faithfully serving IMF and now it seems you are just going to right him off"."That is not acceptable, he stated. Martin shrugged unaffected by the anger he could hear in Benji's voice, "Hunt's own actions show he does not expect help from us Dunn. He chose to jump off that cliff", he replied

"Dammit", Jane joined in, "you have to do something". "I'm sorry to interrupt ", came a soft female voice. All of them stared at the woman who appeared on the screen in front of them. "I'm Lila Craddock, I work for SHIELD as a psychologist. I have to agree with Director Martin on one point. Both the IMF agent and Clint chose to take this path and both of them need to see it through for different reasons". "Clint has only just rediscovered the fact he has a brother. If he has already lost him then he needs a way to feel closer to him. Jumping off that cliff is Clint's way of experiencing what Will would have gone through. Perhaps the IMF agent also needs to feel closure".

Benji had to take a breath at that moment. He knew what Lila Craddock was saying was true. Ethan felt that he was responsible for what had happened to Will. It must have been difficult to face an identical twin and realize he may never have the opportunity to say goodbye. He would go along on this crazy mission to help alleviate his own guilt as well as remembering Will. Benji knew Ethan would do that same for him as well. He sighed, " I suppose you are right, but they could have chosen a very hard method of searching that will affect their own survival. They had a helicopter why not use that".

"Where would you even start looking", Jane asked him." It's been two days Will could be kilometers out in the sea". She sucked in her breath and made a hard confession," I do not share the belief that Will is alive. Yes, he could have jumped off the cliff. But there would have been the fall then an explosion to survive. " "So you think Ethan is on a pointless mission, that's just another reason to go and rescue him. He could have been injured in the jump", Benji's voice was becoming faster as his anxiety rose," I can't believe we are even having this conversation."

Fury could understand Benji's feelings. He could see this pinched look in Natasha's face and knew she wanted him to order a helicarrier to search for Clint. "I think if you did rescue them now, then you'd just have to lock them up to stop them going back", Lila told them. "You are not talking about average people making this type of move, they are two highly trained agents. No matter how much none of us like it we may just have to go on trust in their abilities. I do not think they would just jump to their deaths. They are out there right now in the sea and when they are ready I believe they will find a way to contact us". Lila knew she was asking for both SHIELD and IMF to trust her opinion. So far her track record had not been that great. She was confident though that her assessment of the facts were correct.

Benji took in yet another breath, Ethan had survived several situations that were in reality worse than this one. It was just the feeling that perhaps he should be there with Ethan. He knew nothing about the man that looked like Clint and hoped he could be relied upon to save Ethan if that became necessary.

"Look", Tony Stark pushed Lila aside and spoke, "JARVIS is going to work out a program that will use all the known factors and track the probable position and destination of Clint and the IMF agent. If we need to we can use that information to narrow down a search area'. In the mean time I guess that we will just have to trust the fact that Clint is good at looking after himself".

All of them reluctantly agreed with that.

Right now Clint Barton was feeling like a drowned rat. He had learnt how to fall from a young age and had made sure he protected the parts of his body that were already injured. It had still been a shock though to plummet into icy water from that height. If he had planned this action he would have had arrows handy to shoot in the sides of the cliff to slow his descent. Beside him Ethan Hunt looked equally bedraggled. He wished he'd had one of those small discs that when thrown turned into an inflatable boat. But then Will did not have one of those upon him, this was Will style. Both of them treaded water ,then spied a large piece of house that wasbeing buffeted in the waves. Swimming towards that they pulled themselves up. "Well at least we know the fall is survival able ", Ethan told Clint as he sat puffing upon the wood. "Yeah well if it wasn't then it would have been a really stupid thing to do", Clint remarked with a half smile. Ethan had to admit he was right. Both of them had not really been thinking all that clearly when they'd jumped. Now in the coldness of the sea reality was setting in.

"Will could have found some floating debris, just like we have", Clint remarked. "Yeah if he survived the explosion. The force was considerable and pieces of house and cliff would have been fired like missiles all around him", Ethan stated. "I am going with yes he did survive and is out there for me to find", Clint told him firmly. " I do not want to waste an exciting jump off a cliff and an equally as riveting float through icy cold water after all". That remark sounded a little something Will would have said to Ethan. He supposed it was because of the fact they were twins. But then Clint had said he had not known about Will. Ethan knew Will did not know about Clint either. It had been a conversation that had given him an insight to Will's private life. Out of all of them Will was the one who talked about himself and his life the least. Benji would drop little comments about his family to the others on many occasions and it was one of these that had been the moment when he discovered the hole in William Brandt's life. "I am going to join my sister and go skiing in the mountains when this is over", Benji had told them over dinner one night in their hotel room. "Just be careful you don't break anyting Benji", Jane replied. "I went skiing with my sister once and ended up falling down the mountain. "Luckily I only bruised this", she pointed to her bottom. "How about you Will, are you going to catch up with family", Jane asked. Ethan remembered Will going a little pale when he found himself to be under their scrutiny. He'd felt a rush of concern when without a word Will had turned and fled into the bathroom. "What did I say", Jane asked worriedly. Ethan let a few minutes tick by before going to check on Brandt. He knocked on the bathroom door but did not wait for an invitation to enter. Will had just been standing there looking into the mirror. "Are you alright", Ethan asked, "Jane was concerned she'd upset you in some way". Will had closed his eyes briefly before telling Ethan, "It is hard for me to listen to others talk about their families when I don't have one. My parents died when I was a child Ethan". "I am an only child as well so don't have anyone to share family time with." Ethan found a lump forming in his throat, "you have us", was what he had said.

As he pulled his mind back from that memory Ethan found himself wondering why Will and Clint did not know each other. Since there was nothing else to do, out here in the water Ethan decided that he might as well talk. "So what happened Clint ,do you grow up apart or something", he asked. Clint took a breath , "No, my mother decided that it was in our best interests to forget one another. So she had this illegal doctor perform brain surgery that damaged the memory centres of the brain. It was meant to be permanent but this God from another planet, who had my mind controlled decided he could not stand the screams coming from my damaged mind and promoted healing". Clint looked over at Ethans startled expression, "beat that for a story", he said drolly. It did sound like he was totally out of his mind.

Ethan finally snapped his mouth shut after a whole 3 minutes of gaping like a fish. Clint sounded totally serious. So maybe it had happened. Okay ,he'd just go with the comment, "shit and I thought the things we do in the IMF were insane. That just sounds like a whole new level of crazy. No offense", he added. "None taken, Clint told him," I agree totally".

He shifted himself on the piece of wood wincing when his bruised side brushed against a piece of metal sticking out of the wood. "You okay', Ethan asked in concern. "Physically a little bruised as for other ways,"well it has been rough, after the mind control God thing came lots of counseling because I killed several of our own agents", Clint confessed. It was still very difficult to think or even speak about that. But somehow he knew Ethan Hunt would not judge him.

Ethan did not really know what to say about that one. He had been tortured before by the enemy so guessed Clint's experience was close to that. It was something that took time to recover from.

"Things are sometimes not all that easy", was what he told Clint. "No, they are not. I'd rather not talk about it anymore. I'd rather know more about Will", Clint asked. It was hard to feel close to someone when you saw them last many years ago and know nothing about their life since. Ethan wished he had a lot to tell. "He is not someone who talks freely about himself. He like you has been through the emotional ringer in his career", he replied. "We met a few years ago during a mission. Will was chief analyst at the time having left IMF because he believed he'd been responsible for my wife's death. He wasn't" , Ethan quickly added."It is almost as good as your story but doesn't involve spooky stuff like people from other planets". He waited for Clints reaction and was surprised when the SHIELD agent started to laugh."Gosh Will and I really do make a great pair, as we share some mind bending situations". I guess it comes with the territory of being an agent" . As for more personal things, I guess I'll have to ask him myself for details", Clint told Ethan.

He looked over at the grey seas and over his shoulder watched the clifftop fade into the distance. "We are going to have to keep our minds busy not thinking about the sea" , Clint told Ethan. "Days of nothingness could make us feel slightly crazy". He evaluated Ethan soberly, "I know it is most likely classified but can you tell me about your mission. "I'd like to know how Will ended up on that clifftop with enemies surrounding him."

Once again Ethan was not worried about sharing information. He had a few questions going through his mind in regards to their mission and knew that sharing them may offer a different perspective.

"Nothing really seemed to go right. We thought we had the perfect stealth approach planned to take the 5 men unawares. If you are going to take out a group of highly trained people who are sitting on top of a cache of weapons then you go for an approach they do not expect. We used heat imaging technology to determine their positions then used diving equipment to approach from the sea. Then we scaled that cliff setting the explosive devices at the same time. It should have worked flawlessly. But it seemed like they knew we were coming", Ethan told Clint. "We found ourselves facing a firefight. That's how Will used up most of his ammunition. Since we were out gunned and outnumbered we had to retreat and regroup to try another approach". "They seemed to know about that one as well." It was the type of thing that set his senses jangling. "That's where the brief case moment comes into the mission". We had noticed that all 5 men had different positions throughout the house and surrounding land and regularly changed them . However there always seemed to be one man in what was the basement of the house. We assumed that there was something important there. We used some IMF technology to see inside the basement during a shift change and saw the briefcase sitting upon the table open with some type of device inside. Will was excited about that, he said that this was a way we could get the other men. I disagreed because of them knowing our plans. It just seemed like that case was…", Ethan broke off feeling emotion rise again.

Clint knew enough about how missions worked to fill in that last words, " a trap', a tempting little sweet waiting for you to come and claim. Ethan nodded and continued the story, "It is really only a stupid person who puts all their information on a device others can take " . So I said to leave the thing alone. Will disagreed though ,he said it was the only way to get their attention. If they expected us to take that move then why not do it. He also thought there was a chance that the device inside the case really did store all their information. They could just be pulling a double bluff. I thought the risks were too high and started to plan yet another line of attack. Will sneaked off before I could stop him and…'well this is where we ended up", Ethan indicated the sea. "I still want to know how they knew we were coming because it may just have cost Will his life", he looked at Clint, "though I do want to belive he is still alive. ".Clint thought through everything Ethan had told him. "Maybe you were bugged or tracked in some manner", he mused. "Benji did a scan of all our equipment and found nothing", Ethan replied. Okay one option down, Clint had not really thought that one was probable anyway. It seemed Ethan was competent enough as an agent not to get caught out like that. There was another explanation that Ethan did not want to hear and he was reluctant to voice it because of what it meant. "Betrayal", Ethan said the words for him." I trust everybody on my team Clint, yet I can't see any other way that the enemy would know what we were going to do". That was the most awful realization any team leader must suffer. It was essentially a team breaker as he could never be really sure which of them betrayed him.

Clint looked over at Ethan. Betrayal was never an easy thing to consider. It must be giving Ethan Hunt nightmares. Clint could share those scary thoughts when he thought of that fact that Will was included on Ethan's list. But then Ethan hurriedly told him, "I doubt it was Will". "He did not have to make the sacrifice play and grab that bloody briefcase. He knew it was not what I wanted. But as I told you Will liked to challenge me sometimes".Ethan closed his eyes.

Clint would have liked yell at Will himself over that. He hoped to get the opportunity. His eyes grazed the surface of the sea again. A wide expanse of nothiness stared back. He swallowed. Don't think about the sea, he told himself. Think about Ethans problem, "so if the bad guys went after Will then he must have been right and the briefcase really did contain information. It does not make sense otherwise. If they were using the case as bait and knew you were coming they would have wanted to take all of you out and not just one agent. I think they underestimated the fact Will would take the case to give you time to take other action. He's a frigging idiot", Clint stormed, "sorry", he apologized seconds later. "I agree but I suppose he did take down some very bad people", Ethan reminded him. "Yeah I suppose that might help me when I think about this again", Clint sighed. Will it seemed had a lot of honor within him,Cap would probably like him.

Finding conversation lulling again Clint's eyes were drawn back to the sea. It was kind of hypnotic with the waves lapping around them and all those dark shapes moving about. What, dark shapes they weren't there before. Clint focused his enhanced eyesight on the nearest one. Memories of a particular movie he'd watched as a child assailed him forcefully. He had not been swimming for months after watching that movie. Now he was in the ocean with the movie's star and all its siblings coming closer. "Ethan he said seriously, there are sharks in the water".

Ethan promptly drew his feet up high onto the wood. "Yet another thing for Will to survive', Clint breathed out..

Xxxxx

Will found himself jolting to awareness when he felt pain shot through his fingers. He had been lying across the wood when he'd fallen unconscious and his arm had been dangling in the water. Pulling out his hand Will looked closely at his fingers. They were bleeding from small cuts. "Dammit", he swore, "hey you fish, I am not dead, therefore you cannot eat me", he yelled into the sea. There of course came no response, maybe he was already going crazy. He fixed the problem of his stinging fingers by placing them in this mouth. That was unfortunately not going to help the rest of him though. The gashes caused by flying debris were still bleeding. The worst of them was on his arm. Blood ran down from his just above his elbow to drip onto the wood then run into the sea. No wonder those fish had thought there was something nice to eat. Moving his cold aching body to an upright position Will had to restrain a scream when he realized the fish were the least of his problems. There were 4 fins circling his piece of wood and they definitely did not belong to dolphins. Will searched around him for something he could use to frighten them off.

He laughed to himself rather crazily when he saw the briefcase that had caused all the problems floating nearby. Okay a sharp smack across the nose with a briefcase might be the best shark deterrent.

He grabbed it up, knowing that it at least had the weight to be effective as a weapon. It was surprising the thing had not sunk. Maybe though there was something inside to give it buoyancy. Holding it in both hands Will watched the shark fins.

It was hard to keep his eyes upon all of them as they swam around the wood. The largest fin was circling closer and Will transferred his gaze to that one. Seconds later the fin disappeared as the shark dived under the water. Will could hear his heart beat speed up as his eyes scanned the waters surface. The shark could surface under the wood and throw him off into the path of the others. There would be very little he could do if that happened. He hoped though that sharks don't like to share their dinner and just the big boss would attack. He almost laughed about that thought, he was happy that the stand in from JAWS the movie was about to try and eat him.

A slight ripple drew his attention and he focused upon that point. What he saw next almost paralyzed him with fear. Nothing or nobody he had ever faced was as frightening as a large great white shark barreling down upon him. He could see the beady eyes and sharp nose as well as the lines of jagged white teeth. In seconds it would be upon him. Holding tight to the briefcase Will counted the seconds and watched the sharks approach. He saw it rise out of the water ,an image of pure death, its mouth agape and rows of needle sharp teeth glinting with saliva. Will jumped down upon the piece of wood and used the buoyancy of the sea to propel himself upwards over the gaping mouth. He struck the case with all the force he could muster at the sharks pointed nose. Pain shot through his arms and he found himself screaming as he felt the jolt of impact shock his injured arm. The case split open in his hands and he saw that it was indeed filled with buoyancy devices. He could also see that it was empty.

That fact barely had time to register before he found himself coming down to land right on the back of the shark. The shock of his attack had enraged the beast and it sped through the water like a jet fighter.

Will balanced his feet across its back and treated it like a surfboard. He had surfed for many years before he'd joined IMF and the knowledge came in handy now as he kept his footing on the wildest ride of his life. He had not gone far when the beast below him decided it had enough of him riding upon its back. It decided to surface. Once again he had to take a gamble and throw himself upward as the beast went under. The piece of wood and been propelled along by the sharks wake and Will found himself hitting it hard. It went under the water a short way then shot back up. Panting hard Will found himself falling flat upon the wood as exhaustion caught up with him. He was surprisingly still alive. But those other fins were still out there and they did not have long to wait until darkness fell. Unless he could somehow manage to stay awake and alert all night they would eventually get him. Once again Will felt despair fill him. How could he hope to survive . He almost felt like screaming again. When he heard a scream a few moments later he thought that perhaps he had lost control totally and not known he had made a sound… Looking out over the water though made him think differently, he could clearly see something glinting in the sun and it was not man made.

"Shit"…Clints sudden shout made Ethan jump. "What", he demanded staring at the sharks. "Ethan I just had the worst thought' Clint told him. He did look rather pale and Ethan thought he knew the cause. "I have already thought about the movie JAWS", he replied grimly. "No it wasn't about the finned foe. "It was about those men who went after Will and that briefcase. They were closing in on Will's position when you detonated and you did not find all of the bodies…If Will could survive the fall then so could they"…..

Clint found himself brushing his eyes and scanning the water for some sign of life. What he saw drifting in the current just made him feel like all hope for Will's survival had gone. "Ethan, there is a severed arm, about 300 metres ahead". Ethan Hunt reached out and touched him as they got closer to the grisly discovery.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9- fight for life

Will Brandt end of day 1 at sea (1 day ago)

The light was fading rapidly making it harder to keep focused on both the enemies, the finned and human kind. He could just make out the two men sitting quite calmly on a very solid piece of house. His own piece was not floating as highly in the water now, as his struggles with the shark took a toll on its buoyancy. It was getting water logged and soon would not be suitable for him to use as a floatation device. Maybe it would not matter, shivers ran through his body as the effects of being soaking wet made themselves apparent, then there were the cramps that assailed his stomach as it begged him to get it something to eat. His lips were dry ,cracked and bleeding and he raised them to the glass face of his watch to lick off the moisture there. This had been his only source of water. The salt of the sea had forever damaged the watches ability to tell time, but it had been a lifesaver in this all important way. Not that it matters either his fatigued mind told him, he had also now lost a fair amount of blood as the impact wounds he had suffered during the explosion still bled. He had forced himself to examine the bleeding gash upon his arm and noted that as well as being deep he could see something imbedded within the wound, most likely small pieces of house or cliff. While he could still feel his arm stinging he was finding it increasingly difficult to hold anything in the fingers of that hand, they felt a little numb and pinching them did not feel as painful as it had previously. So he had some serious issues facing him and admitted to himself that his hope was fading rapidly.

He shook himself firmly once he gave in he would die. Keep fighting he told himself.

The water rippled as the sharks circled again, "do me a favour and go scare the bad guys", he told them. Strangely enough the sharks seemed to listen heading off in the direction of the other men.

It was then that Will saw a very familiar looking fin. His previous JAWS like attacker had a small notch out of its fin and that fin was now baring down upon the men. Even though they were the enemy Will found himself sending a mental blast of strength toward the men, nobody deserved to be ripped apart by hungry sharks.

Without really thinking about it he used his uninjured hand to pull the belt out of his trousers. He was glad he was ambidextrous as he spun the belt over his head in a circle, faster and faster until he could hear the whipping sound it made clearly . Then he let it loose, it flew in whizzing swirling circles like a mini helicopter unti lit impacted firmly with jaws rear end. "I bet that stung", Will muttered.

Indeed the shark stopped its approach on the other men and turned around, 'oh shit", Will muttered as once again the thing bore down upon him. Quickly Will bent down and removed his shoes, they were steel tipped which made them heavy, great for preventing foot injuries during missions or occasionally clouting white pointers. He spun one around like he had his belt, pretending it was a discus and aimed it right for a spot between the shark's eyes. Letting it fly he was satisfied when it hit hard.

The shark immediately surfaced again and Will expected that any second it was going to come up underneath him and teach him a lesson he would not live to remember. He closed his eyes and lay back upon the wood, no longer wanting to fight. "Sorry', he said as he thought of everyone he knew.

Any second now the impact was going to come. Indeed a scream rose out loud and filled with terror. But it was not he who was screaming. Rising himself up again Will watched in horror as Jaws barreled into the other mens piece of wood. One man held on, using all the strength he possessed to stop being thrown. The other one was not so fortunate flying up into the air , his arms and legs trying desperately to propel him to safety as they flailed about. It was no use though, he simply plummeted into the sea where the hungry sharks awaited him.

The screams that issued from the mans mouth as he hit the ocean was the type that spoke of an unsurvivalable terror. Will could not bear to watch as the sharks sped in to grab pieces of man in their mouths and simply ripped him apart. The screams broke off seconds later and an eerie silence hung over the sea. Blood red water lapped at his wood, bt not a fin was in sight. Sated the sharks had decided to return home . It was not an escape but a reprieve he knew, sometime they would be back for supper.

Darkness was falling rapidly now. Will looked over at the other man floating on the wood. He could almost feel him staring back. Both of them would get no sleep tonight.

Soon the mans form was lost to the darkness and Will could not even see the water around him. He could hear it lapping and feel the current as his piece of house was tugged in a new direction.

He would now have to rely on his other senses to detect sharks, surely they would make some sound when they came to get him. The darkness was so black and absolute it was even more scary than before.

Then he looked up at the star filled sky and suddenly felt not so alone. The stars stood out in there amazing brilliant splendor and a large full moon shone a small trail of light upon the sea. It would have been beautiful had he not been on a slowly submerging piece of wood out in shark infested sea.

Despite the fact he was terrified of a shark attack , he could feel himself fighting the urge to sleep, or perhaps fall unconscious. Maybe it would be better if he did go to sleep, he might not feel the pain of his death. But some part of him would not give in, every time his eyes fluttered he'd force them back open.

He could feel water lapping higher on his body now as the wood moved lower again. Most likely it would not sink all together but he would be partly submerged and a more easy target for the sharks.

"Just let go Will, its okay you have fought hard and long, it's okay", his tired, fatigued mind told him. His eyes focused upward again and he smiled, yes maybe it was time. His eyes fluttered again and then popped back open as that stubborn streak that was still present disagreed with that other part of him.

He had no idea how much time passed as he sat fighting the urge to sleep and feeling the water lapping higher around him. It felt like an eternity but he guess it most likely was only an hour or so.

Finally everything his body had gone through caught up with him and his eyes fluttered shut one final time and did not reopen. There he lay under the beauty of the starry sky barely clingning to life on a half submerged piece of wood. The current was still carrying him and it was as if he was following the corridor of moonlight to some unknown end…

xxxxxxxx

Lila Craddocks place.

Tony Stark was man who enjoyed supplying answers for others. He was sure a program that would fix the position of Clint, Ethan and perhaps even Will was something that would once again give him a moment to shine. "Sir I have finished the positioning program", Jarvis told him. "Good", Tony smiled, finally a chance to make some progress. He had already tried to be a little sneaky and hack the IMF to get more information on Will Brandt . That effort had failed miserably so it was just as well he did not tell anyone about what he'd done. IMF had a very impressive defense system in place and it had stood firm against the cyber attacks he or JARVIS had designed. Idly he wondered who had been brilliant enough to design that system.

"Here is the information for the location program", Jarvis sent the data to his screen. "What", Tony stared at what he saw ,a mass of data. 'I thought this would give us one probable position instead it gives as several possible positions, why is that", Tony spluttered. He thought he had the best system in the world. "You are used to dealing with machines and people Mr Stark not nature. There is only a certain level of monitoring happening of the sea currents and wind flow in that area. Unless there is a major weather event data is not stored on a minute by minute basis. Therefore we can only anticipate where any current would lead. As you can see these are the patterns from two days ago when Will Brandt went into the ocean. Using the data there are 4 possibilities for where he may end up if he survived."

Tony found following the pathways Jarvis had interposed onto his screen confusing, "just give me the details JARVIS, can he make landfall". "Yes in three out of four scenarios, he will make land of some sort within the next few hours. Only one of those is an actual island though." Still that was fairly good odds ", Tony told himself. Then JARVIS had to tell him about option four, "I am afraid that in the 4th scenario he would move to this current and be carried out into the deeper sea. The likelihood of his present survival in that option is less than 1 percent'". Machines had that matter of fact way of telling you bad news that humans would stumble over. But the news was not totally grim in Brandts case." What about Clint and Ethan Hunt, do they have the same chances", Tony asked.

Jarvis had already calculated that path as well. "The currents were almost the same when Clint and Hunt went into the sea". So Clint was not totally crazy when he'd made the assessment that by jumping off the cliff he may end up in the same place as Brandt. Sometimes Tony admitted he underestimated the archer.

JARVIS he realized was still speaking. "However there have been some changes in the last hours that mean that the odds are 2 out of four that Clint and Ethan will make landfall. In the other 2 scenerios they end up out at sea." Tony swallowed, that was not good news. The currents are a lot faster now so essentially Clint and Hunt could arrive at the same position as Brandt within the next couple of hours."

It was mixed good and bad news which was not something he wanted to present to the others. Still if he could get a search plan initated based on the data it might give them all some hope. "Sir", Jarvis cut into his thoughts again. "I have some new data". What now thought Tony grimly, "we were just got access to IMF",Jarvis stunningly told him."I thought we could not break into their system, Tony remarked. "We can't however it seems someone on the inside has just made sure we can access certain information".

Now that sounded interesting Tony thought, "so what have we got", he asked. As information filled his screen Tony knew exactly who had given them access and why.

Xxxxxx

Benji, Jane and Luther were tired of feeling useless and sitting around waiting for either good news or bad. They needed to feel that they too were helping to locate Ethan and Will. "I know some people who could give us some helicopters and be willing to start a search pattern", Luther told them. It was the best thing they had. "Good, Benji decided, I know you are not positive about Will Jane but let's at least do something to locate Ethan. I can check on recent wind and current patterns and get a least some idea of where to start the search". Jane just nodded in agreement.

The three of them all turned to Director Martin, "we will be leaving now", they told him. The director shook his head and indicated to some agents standing behind them to come forward. "Agent Dunn, you have already given us some information on the outcome of Operation Cliffhanger. It has raised some serious questions." He eyeballed them all slowly, "it seems that there is a traitor in our midst and it has to be one of you". Benji swallowed, he'd been sure he'd been careful not to mention any suspicion when he'd given a report. He knew Ethan had also delayed a report for that reason, he trusted all of them and had to think of some other way they had been compromised. "None of us would betray IMF or Ethan Hunt", Benji said firmly. He had no doubt whatsoever about that fact. "Yeah, he's like my brother man", Luther growled, "and mine as well. Ethan never has to ask for our loyalty we just give it, we'd all die for him", Jane told Martin. The director though just stared them down, "yet only one of your team actually did die, he remarked grimly, "all of you are still alive ". I have to have the question of how information was leaked answered agents. As of now your active agent status has been revoked. You will each accompany an agent to an interview room where you will answer any question given to you". He looked at the anger present in their faces and bodies, "if you resist we will use force and then treat you like a hostile witness", he threatened. "You already are, Benji replied, 'we did not do this", he said forcefully.

It felt like he was talking to a wall. Ethan was not here to protect them from the fallout and he felt very alone. Since none of them were guilty is was probable they would all be disavowed because of suspicion then sent to a IMF holding facility. So who would help them out of this one. Benji had heard of the brilliance of Tony Stark and decided that he was the best option to try and dig them out of this hole. Before he was taken away Benji pushed a button on a remote device he had in his pocket and gave one of the computers in the room a very specific task."

Xxxxxxx

Tony joined the others in the living room of Lila's house. This place was becoming almost like a home to them, he reflected . The doctor did not look as uncomfortable in having them present as before either.

He presented his data, on the search program and gave them his thoughts on a rescue plan before they could all go into a debate on odds of survival. "If we sent a helicarrier to this point, he indicated a spot out in sea,' and worked backward towards the other probable landing spots we could cover a lot of ground. Since we have sophisticated search apparatus I think we could also conduct a search quickly and effectively", he told them. Natasha looked at the furthest point, far out to sea, "if thye went out there then we are going to have to locate them very quickly", she remarked. Tony nodded, "yes on that retrieval point only survival of Hunt and Barton would now be probable, Jarvis says it would already be too late for Will Brandt".

While everyone grimly took in tht fact, Nick decided to act. "I'll order out a helicarrier to begin a search pattern. We'll also give IMF our data and see if they want to join in the search", he told them.

Tony cleared his throat, Nick had given him an opening to mention their other problem. "I doubt IMF will be interested, he told them. "They have taken into custody the three remining agents from Mission Cliffhanger on suspicion of treason". There were stunned faces all around as that announcement hit home.

Nick gave him one of those no nonsense looks he knew so well. "How do you know this", he asked.

At least Tony thought he had not hacked the system to get this information because he 'd be in a whole lot of trouble. "An agent called Benjamin Dunn, allowed me to get access". He is on Hunt's team ".

Tony brought up the file on Mission Cliffhanger, "as yet Hunt has not filed his own report, so what is known comes from Agent Dunn. They were after a group of 5 men, who were storing weapons and recruiting fellow terrorists. IMF have some very good stealth equipment and used it to make an approach upon the men that should have worked flawlessly". "Only it didn't, Cap guessed. "No ,the men somehow knew they were coming and they walked into a firefight", Tony reported. Dunn states that he tested everything for a tracking device but could not find one. So it seems that the only other option is that one of the team fed the enemy information". Now IMF is questioning them and if they don't get answers from one of them all will be held accountable." He sighed,"this action even extends to Hunt, who as team leader is ultimately responsible for the others. Then of course there is the chance he could have done it himself. I guess that is why IMF is not initiating any type of search for him. Jumping into the sea, was perhaps seen as his own way out."

Tony finally finished his presentation and sat back to await their thoughts. "We'd have to have more information, to get an accurate picture", Nick told him. That would include other mission details. " For instance, what do we know about these 5 men they were after". He had always thought that knowing more about the enemy could provide insights into all sorts of questions. Tony immediately asked the system for names and photographs of the men. "Here", he said as he put them up onto the screen. Beside him he clearly heard Natasha suck in a breath, seconds later their own system reported, "SHIELD match found".

"This one is not called Dent Baxter", Natasha told them, tapping one man's picture. "He is Ivan Ivanoff who was only a what small fish when we first had dealings with him, a few years back. It is only for that reason he is still alive, the big fish was more important. He was supposedly sent to prison. Obviously he is out now and has moved out on to bigger plans". "The man is a fish, I wonder how that is possible", Thor remarked. The others rolled their eyes. It was easy to forget that Thor was from another planet and hadn't caught on to some expressions used in the English language". "It means he was not important then", Bruce told Thor. Steve waited patiently for Bruce so finish then remarked, "So there is a link to enemies on our list, that is hardly surprising, IMF seems to deal with similar types of hostiles". "Yes that is true and because of that I find myself wondering something", Nick told him. "Natasha who was on your team". "My usual Nick me and, oh shit I think I see the problem. "Clint was with me years ago when we took down this guy. He busted Ivanoff up quite seriously. I'm sure that type has a very long memory. So what would he think when years later he catches a glimpse of IMF agent Will Brandt", Natasha asked.

"So we are going with revenge then, Ivanoff thinks Will is Clint and decides to take him out ". "He waited a very long time to take action", Tony mused. "So, you think that is not right", Steve prompted. "I know a little something about revenge", Tony told them grimly. "If you feel angry you want to hit that person where it would hurt the most. Sometimes just attacking them is not satisfying enough. You would want their pain to last a long time so would go for their friends and fam…", he broke off. "Family", Nick Fury finished the word for him, "that would mean that Ivanoff knew that Will and Clint were two different people. He wanted the brother to use against Clint". "Not that effective when Clint did not know about Will", Bruce countered. "If Ivanoff had tried to use Brandt as leverage Clint would have just suspected a trick of some type. He'd have to have some very persuasive evidence to be believed. Even then there is a chance that Clint would not do what they wanted."

So you think it was just mistaken identity then", Steve mused. Natasha sucked in a breath again, making them all turn toward her, "neither SHIELD or IMF knew about Will either. So how easy would it be for Will Brandt to walk in here pretending to be Clint. He could potentially cause havoc before he got discovered." Nick went pale, "it is essentially what Clint just did to IMF, though not the havoc part."

"Yes Will Brandt would be a wonderful asset for anyone wanting to get revenge on SHIELD. That would be the ultimate revenge for Ivanoff", Nick told them. "Okay I get that, but that does not tell us who is responsible for leaking the information on the teams movements", Steve reminded them. "No it gives us a bigger problem, if we go for the scenario that Ivanoff knew there are two of them, then we have to ask ourselves how he knew." If two powerful agencies have over all these years not discovered the fact they each have one of set of identical twins working for them then that information was buried deep. Who would have the ability to do that so well",Nick asked. "And why is it no longer working", Bruce added. Now that was yet another interesting question, Nick Fury mused. How were they going to untangle this web. "There must have been people long ago who knew about Will and Clint. The man who undertook the surgery was one, but he is dead. If they are any others still alive today then it might give us a place to start", Tony told them. "Yeah but how do we find these people, they won't advertise themselves", Steve asked. It was a good question and right now none of them had the answer.

"For now lets just try to get Clint back. With the return of his memory of past events he just might be able to give us some clues to this puzzle", Natasha responded.

"Well it will be about now that both our missing parties destinies will be shaped by mother nature, Tony told them.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ethan Hunt fished the arm out of the water ,gave it a moment of scrutiny then passed it to Clint. "I'd say it has been in the water for about two days, Ethan told him. With a hammering heart beat Clint made himself look at the arm. He compared it to his own for a while. Ethan watched him soberly feeling his own emotion simmering at the surface. He did not want this search to end this way. "It does not belong to Will", Clint turned to him and offered a small smile. He bent down and gently place the arm in the water. It got taken up by the current and drifted away. "Then we still have hope", Ethan patted him on the back. "Yes, hope for Will , but we have a choice, he watched the arm. "There is more than one current out there. We have to decide to stay with this one or paddle hard to move into that one", he pointed after the drifting arm. "That current is faster than this one, but that does not mean it is the better choice. " Ethan debated with himself, making a decision on currents was not within his realm of knowledge. "I don't know", he confessed. "Well then lets go with chance then, Clint fished in his pocket and came up with a wet dime." Ethan stared at him, "I thought you might have some ideas", he remarked. "Yeah I do, Clint affirmed," I am an archer so I know something about wind currents. But even when I fire I know things can change and my arrow can end up somewhere else." So in this case I am simply going to say heads or tails".

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Will Brandt came awake as he felt himself slip into the sea. He did not try to swim back to the piece of wood as it had sunk low beneath the waves and he could no longer ascertain its location. This was it, the end, time to surrender to the inevitable. His body was simply too exhausted to muster the strength to swim. He let himself sink, keeping his eyes upward at the glory of the stars above. His legs went down first ,unresisting ,he felt his body following them tugging him down to the bottom which was probably meters below. "Ouch", he remarked as his foot hit something rather solid .Will found a laugh barreling out of his cracked lips as he realized there was ground beneath his feet. That will teach you to give up, Will Brandt, he told himself. As yet it was too dark to make out much in front of him. He could easily be on one of the many atolls that were part of the Hawaiian Islands. But for now land or any type was far better than the sea. He began to walk, monitoring the position of the water upon his legs as he went.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10- Landfall

Clint Barton and Ethan Hunt near end of 1st day at sea (less than 1 day behind Will)

"Okay heads we stay in this current, tails we paddle over to that one", Clint told Ethan. Ethan could not really believe they were basing a decision this important on a coin toss. Yeah so what else are you going to do, his mind asked him. There is no Benji out here to look up information on his computer, even then Clint is right the sea can be unpredictable. Just roll with it, he told himself. You knew this whole thing was a gamble so why not take another one. "Toss the coin", he said to Clint, tired of his own game of mental ping pong . Clint threw the coin up and deftly caught into on the back of his hand, slapping his other hand over the top, before it could slide off. He peered under his hand. "We stay here", he told Ethan . "Fine", Ethan replied, he had been concerned that the splashing they would make by moving would attract more sharks.

There were only three at the moment, though one of those looked significantly larger than the rest. He found his eyes drawn to that one, watching its behavior. "They may not like being stared at", Clint told him nervously . "Well it's them who are staring at us, that one in particular", Ethan pointed to the largers finned monster. "Oh Jaws himself", Clint muttered taking a quick moment to look at the shark.

"It keeps putting its head out, looking then surfacing, like it can't decide something", Ethan remarked. He thought the sharks behavior was odd as the other two were just swimming about. "It's wondering which of us will taste better", Clint replied drolly. He had never liked sharks . They tended to go even crazier if you shot arrows into them. So it was not a really good method of attack. Still it might be all he had . He'd spent time breaking a small piece of wood off the larger piece and then carving it with a sliver of glass. Hunt probably though he was keeping busy to stop himself thinking about the sea. Oh no even in his mind he'd said the word sea and now he had to look at it again. This time he focused on the large shark . It only took him a couple of minutes to determine that Hunt was right ,it's behavior was weird.

"What do we do if it attacks", Ethan asked nervously. He had no issues with dealing with people but sharks were a little outside of his experience. . "You use what you have Hunt, Clint told him holding up that piece of wood he'd spent time working upon. It now looked like a spear, which could come in handy, though Ethan cringed at the thought of an enraged shark if it did not die from the blow. As if Clint had read his thoughts he told Ethan, "it's a last resort weapon in a scenario where we have no other choice. I don't think I'll be using it now".

That was a relief. It did not stop Ethan staring at the sharks, watching them with the gaze of a highly trained observer used to making decisions based on his assessments. After watching for 15 minutes more Ethan found himself making an assessment. He ducked behind Clint for a moment ,peering out from behind his back to check on the sharks reaction. "What are you doing", Clint asked. "Just testing my theory, Clint that shark is not interested in me, it is staring at you", Ethan told him. Clint looked at the shark intently, it did seem that the beady eyes were boring into him. When he turned his head to look behind him the shark moved so that it could once again see his face. He swallowed nervously, "okay now I am getting freaked out, what did I do eat one of your cousins once", Clint asked the shark. Ethan could not help laughing at that comment, another droll one that helped break the tension of the moment. It was also said with such a familiar tone that Ethan replied. "I have probably eaten one of his cousins as well Will, so I don't think that is an issue". When Clint stared at him sadly in response, Ethan realized he had accidently called him by his brothers name. It was because in that moment Clint really had seemed like Will. Would he become more like him as time went by and then would he actually forget about the real Will. Ethan felt guilty. Clint simply patted his hand, "I understand Ethan, it is hard not to look at me and see Will. My mind is the only place Will exists and I fight hard to keep him in there."That was a hard confession for Clint. Will was almost like a ghost, someone he'd seen long ago and was real in his memories . Only seeing Will in the flesh would make him seem less like a dream.

He turned back toward the shark trying work out why the thing kept it's gaze rooted upon him. Perhaps it had a problem with its eyes and was seeing double or something. "Double vision in sharks is not possible,"Will", Clint suddenly began to laugh out loud. It was a joyous happy sound that seemed out of place in the middle of the sea. Ethan looked at him warily. "Maybe that shark is looking at me oddly because he's seen me before", Clint explained. Now it was Ethan's turn to smile broadly. "Yeah I guess seeing someone who looked like you would even confuse a shark". So Will was alive, he should not have felt so surprised about the fact. Looking at the way the shark was staring at Clint reminded him of the look he'd seen on many enemies face. His smile faded away and a frown took its place. "I hope that Will did not do something to it that made it want to seek revenge". "I don't think sharks do the revenge motto", Clint told him in a hopeful tone. He too though had recognised something about that gaze and was hoping it was just his imagination. Ethan of course had to convince him otherwise by asking. "'Have you seen the movie Jaws". "Great visual image Hunt, I was trying not to think about that movie", Clint replied nervously. That shark had been capable of revenge , but this was not something writers had thought up to scare the masses. Still he kept his gaze on that large fin . When it ducked under the water he suddenly found his heart hammering a lot faster. The other two sharks fins had disappeared also and Clint had a strong feeling that was not a good sign. His danger sense was usually one hundred percent accurate and right now it was telling him firmly that they were about to get attacked. They had moments in which to act. "Ethan hook your feet under that beam and stand up", Clint asked quickly . Ethan did not ask why because he could tell by Clint's pale face that he did not really want to know the answer. He just followed Clint's instructions and carefully balanced himself upon the wood. Clint hooked his feet under a beam on the opposite side of the wood. This was all done in a few seconds. "Brace yourself and follow my actions", Clint told Ethan grimly.

Ethan kept his eyes focused on Clint. Clint squatted down indicating for Ethan to do the same. Once down, it felt like every muscle in his legs was protesting. It became agonizing after one minute . "Go down as low as you can pressing the wood down under you. Then jump up rapidly and flip over with the wood just like you were surfing a wave. Remember to keep your feet under that beam"", Clint instructed loudly. Ethan crouched lower and as he did so he felt the wood slide deeper under the sea. He did not bother to question Clint Barton knowing instinctively that he could trust his judgment. "Jump now", Clint ordered.

They both launched upward rapidly tugging the wood out of the water , up into the air. Flipping over with the weight of the wood was difficult. But the combined weight of both of them gave the momentum to pull it off.

Upside down for a mere second Ethan got a shocking look at three open shark mouths racing at a terrible spped into the space their piece of house had occupied seconds ago.

It was like waiting for the pileup on the freeway to happen. Unable to stop their momentum the three sharks smacked into each other with a ferocity that would have made their eyes water. They sat there stunned for a few moments before sinking below the water line.

Ethan and Clint finished off the flip and hit the water the right way up with the house still firmly attached to their feet moments later. A splash of cold sea water doused them as they landed.

Turning rapidly around they both searched the sea for any sign of the sharks. All they could see were little bubbles . "Well that showed them not to mess with us", Clint muttered out through gasping breaths. He could feel the injuries he'd sustained in the motorcycle crash burning with a fierce intensity. Ethan reached out to support him and Clint found himself holding on firmly. "Are you alright ", Ethan asked worriedly. He felt like he needed to keep hold of Clint just in case something happened and he was left alone out here. There had been times when he had been alone on missions and had always managed to find a way out of danger. But out here in the sea he felt more isolated and alone than on any other mission. It was the seas way of messing with your mind and he was grateful he had another person with him.

Clint felt the same . He and Ethan Hunt were bonding well , thankfully he wasn't stuck out here with someone who had Tony Starks ego. Noticing that the sky was rapidly turning darker Clint lowered himself carefully onto the wood and lay down. Ethan did the same his body touching Clint's and sending warm through his soaking wet clothing. Neither one backed away realizing this was the only way to slow the effects of hypothermia. Will would not have been so fortunate. Clint could only hope his brother could keep on surviving.

Xxxxx

Will day 2…unknown island (Clint and Ethan less than 24 hours away )

He'd kept moving through the sea until he felt the water dissipate and sand take it's place. It was too dark to see much, just vague shapes that could be greenery. He made for one using his hand to determine that it was indeed a shrub of some kind. The tingling sensation in his other arm had moved from fingers to hand. When he pinched his fingers he now felt nothing at all. His arm was slowly becoming paralyzed and it scared him. The fact that was his right hand and he was left handed did not comfort him as he often held his gun in a two handed grip. Don't think about it too much, he told himself, just survive. Pulling himself into the shrubbery he circled his body inward trying to get warm.

His soaking wet clothing was so water logged it gushed water onto the dry sand. Stripping off down to his singlet Will shivered . He rubbed his cold limbs with his right hand causing both pain and a little warmth. At the moment it was too dark to be able to make a fire,but it'd be his first priority in the morning. He'd laugh if he woke up to find himself on a tourist beach with a dozen hotels staring down at him. It would be a relief. Something about the total lack of light or sound around him told him that may just be a fantasy. Curling himself into a tighter ball he let his body fall into an exhausted sleep.

He awoke to the pleasant sound of birdsong. Light filtered it's way through the bush where he was lying.

His whole body protested when he moved and he had to bite his lip to prevent a yell of pain. The bite just made his cracked lip bleed even more. He must look an awful sight.

But it was time to get out of this bush and take a look at where he was. His legs though would not cooperate enough to stand up. He put his hands on the ground to crawl himself out only to fall flat onto his face. There was no feeling at all in his left arm, it fell limp by his side. The bleeding from the wound he'd sustained in the explosion had mainly stopped but the cut to his arm was jagged and an unhealthy shade of red. Whatever was inside his arm was almost most likely causing an infection to spred from the inside.

The longer his arm had to go without treatment the greater the chance that the damage done may be irreversible. That thought gave extra strenght to his legs and on weaving legs he plunged himself out into the open.

Once there he stopped and stared at the unrelenting greenness that assaulted his senses. This was definitely not one of the more populated islands. The bush looked dense and terrain difficult . Not that going that way would be his first choice. IMF gave their agents survival training and he knew from this that his best chance for survival was staying on the beach and building a fire. That way any passing vessel would see the smoke and come and investigate.

With that in mind he looked about the beach for pieces of wood. He'd just located some a few metres away and was stumbling toward them when his danger sense began to twitch. It told him firmly to turn around. He did so and found the man he knew as Dent Baxter staring at him. Why could he never get a break he thought as he stared at one of the men IMF had sent the team to kill. That man looked in far better shape than he did after surviving jumping off a cliff,an explosion and a day in the ocean.

But he was not pointing a weapon at him, surely out here they two of them could put aside their differences and come to some arrangement. "So Baxter, it seems we have the same problem", he started off by saying.

The man smiled annoyingly at him, "you have a problem Brandt, I don't', he replied calmly. It had to be an act Will decided, this man was trying to put him off balance by suggesting he somehow had the advantage. "Really, I don't see anyone there beside you Baxter. Your colleague is still entertaining the sharks and the others were most likely killed in the explosion. It is just you and me, out here alone", he replied. Baxter did not look afraid, he looked cocky which was not very reassuring and his next words just cemented the fact. "Oh you are mistaken Brandt, I have a way off this island waiting for me. You are the one who is alone and injured."

He sounded very sincere and Will began to have doubts. "Just think about the fact that we always knew where you and your team were Brandt. Sure some of my colleagues are dead but I have others who right now know exactly where both of us are. " Save yourself some pain and decide to come with us", Baxter suggested. Now that did surprise Will, he thought this man was just out to kill him and not take him prisoner . Not that the prisioner part made him think of going with Baxter. It was most likely a path of torture for information on IMF. "I'd rather die here thanks", he said firmly.

Baxter looked rather disgusted, "why die Brandt when I am offering you a chance to live. We are not planning on torturing you or anything too unpleasant if that is what you are worried about. You would be a great asset Agent Brandt and as such could claim a lot of pleasant things." His tone was like a saleman offering a wonderful holiday package. Will could not afford to believe him.

"You are just a liar Baxter", he claimed. Again he got a head shake, "why would I bother lying Brandt. You don't look in very good shape and I could take you out easily. Once back at our base your body would not endure the types of tortures some of my colleagues are capable of. But that is not the path I want for you. I am offering you the truth", Baxter remarked. He had taken one step closer Will noted and he made sure to take one wobbly step back. His eyes never left the other mans body waiting for some type of trick. All this verbal rubbish he was spouting was just distraction.

"Tell me Brandt do you remember your childhood', that sentence made Will freeze in the process of taking another backward step. Where the heck had that question come from and why did it make him feel so uncomfortable. "Ahh you don't do you". "IMF have never had any answers to what happened to you in the past Brandt, as a child, we do".Now the words out of Baxters mouth raised an uncertainty within him. This was not at all what he had expected an enemy to say.

"Nothing happened to me", it was best to deny that . "Really so tell me about your early years then, who your parents were, your friends, whether you have any siblings", the words taunted him and made him feel more afraid than any torture could. It was all because there was a hole in his memory, a big one.

Baxter was sensing victory now. Brandt was not moving just staring at hm soberly. "We can give you the answers Brandt. Your early life can be returned to you", he offered it like a cherry on a chocolate cake.

Will knew he should turn away, run ,do something, but he just stood paralyzed and finding one word falling from his mouth. "How", he asked Baxter.

Inwardly his enemy smiled he'd just hooked his fish and now all he had to do was reel him in."There are people out there who know the truth, we will tell you where to find them", he explained. Brandt was still waiting for something to happen, this whole thing felt wrong, though it was a very interesting discussion. He wanted to know about this man's motives for telling him all this. "That's it you tell me where to find them and I go ask nicely what they have been hiding from me", he hinted.

"These people are the type who won't just give you the answer. You will have to use some of your training to get to the truth. It will be like any other mission Agent Brandt", Baxter told him calmly.

"So why would I go on a mission for an enemy", Will asked. "This smells like a big trap Baxter".

"Perhaps we are not the enemy Brandt. We do not lie to you", Baxter told him. He could sense his victory was not quite as close as before. This man was a highly trained agent and he was naturally suspicious.

Will could sense that there was an element of truth to what this man was saying ,people had lied to him.

But he also knew that this man was a liar himself . One more question would tell him everything. "If you want me to come and work for you then why don't you just get this information for me and give it as a welcoming gift", he asked.

Ah so William Brant was definitely not an idiot thought Baxter. He'd have to give some answer. "It is a situation where you'd find answers quicker than us Agent Brandt." That answer told Will a lot.

"So you essentially want me to get information out of either IMF or some other agency in this country using my agent status. What else will I be getting in addition to the information I want, something for you perhaps" , Will guessed. That was what this man wanted, for him to betray his own country. He was feeling very angry but could not muster the strength for an attack.

By the look on Baxter's face he knew it as well. "You would be willing to give us something in return after you discover the truth Agent Brandt. But I feel that I will not convince you." It was then he reached in his pocket and came out with a gun."This one is water proof and loaded", he told Will ashe aimed it at his head.

Will did not move just staring down the barrel. He hoped he was reading this right and that this agent did not want him dead. "Shoot me then, you get a big fat nothing", he stated firmly.

Baxter smiled rather chillingly making hm feel like squirming. "I will not shoot to kill, just incapacitate further. In your state it'll take awhile to recover. But we are in no big hurry, we will patch you up then convince you to do as we want".

"I thought you said no torture", Will told him boldly. He was feeling more afraid right now than he had even in the face of a shark attack. But he was also noticing some things, like the fact Baxter never moved. It might seem like he was just a professional or it could be the fact that he too was injured and was hiding the fact.

"We will not torture you, but there are some drugs that will help soften your mind. You should just agree Brandt and save yourself all this pain. Your reward will be more than you know", his voice dripped temptation .His gaze had never wavered from Will's and he looked so sincere. He's also dangerous Will's tired mind told him. He did not fancy being shot and knew he really only had one chance to get out of this. He had to gamble on the fact that Baxter was injured. He let it look like he was thnking it over, not moving .

He was about to rush toward Baxter when the man fired a shot at his feet. He really had not been kidding about the gun being water proof. "Just to show you I am not a monster, William Brandt', Baxter told him. "Yeah well I am not going with you", Will told him firmly leaving no doubt in his words. Baxter still held the gun steady but there was no look of death in his eyes. He walked a step forward toward Will in a steady straight line. With a sinking feeling Will realized he'd been wrong about the injury. If he had rushed Baxter he would have ended up being shot.

"I might decide to be sporting Brandt", Baxter told him as he lowered the gun slightly. "You have a five minute start then I am coming after you. If you think that will give you a chance though you are kidding yourself. Soon my friends will come and then one way or another you will be coming with us". He smiled again in a manner that was supposed to convey his generosity in being sporting.

But being sporting had nothing to do with it Brandt decided. Baxter had just let it slip that his friends were coming soon, which meant that thankfully they were not already on this island waiting for them. So that was why Baxter had not fired. He would not be able to effectively treat a gunshot wound.

It did not mean though that if he pushed his luck that Baxter would not hesitate to fire. The best chance for him to get out of this was to take Baxter's sporting chance and hopefully use it to his own advantage.

"Alright, give me the five minutes", he told his emeny. "Then he ran off with painful lurching steps as fast as he could go toward the dense jungle like bush.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11- target identified

1 week ago enemy base, unknown location

Ivan Ivanoff aka Dent Baxter had accepted a new mission on behalf of his colleagues for a rather large sum of money and was now on his way to find out the details. He was sure that the amount the man was offering meant that this was going to be a highly dangerous mission that would put his life at risk.

The monetary reward was large enough to make him have a total lack of regard for any type of risk. He had come a long way since his days of petty crime and in the process of moving up in the crime world he'd met people that made you feel like death was staring you in the face. Once you learn to look into anybodies face without fear, to contemplate any terrifying task they set you without flinching ,then you truly belonged in this world of high stakes criminal activity.

Pulling up in front of what looked like a normal house Ivanoff wondered about who he was meeting. He was used to back alleys, bars, offices but a homely house in a suburban street was a first for a meeting with a super criminal.

He rung the door bell, waited rather impatiently for 5 minutes and was about to buzz again when the door swung open. The man who stood there looked like someone's kind old granddad, white hair, glasses and a stoop that spoke of advancing age. "Oh I think I have the wrong address", he'd said convinced by looking at this man that he was not any type of criminal. "No you haven't Mr Ivanoff', the man said in a light tone, "come on in". He opened the door wide and gestured him inside.

The house's interior spoke quite clearly about its owner ,average, boring and not someone you should take too much notice of. "Sit down Mr Ivanoff and we'll get down to business", the granddad told him.

He sat on the hard floral couch and felt totally out of place. "That is the impression I want to give Mr Ivanoff, a boring person who eats pizza and watches reality television. My neighbours come over to borrow sugar and talk about baseball, not one of them suspect that I am not who I seem."

His voice suddenly changed and Ivanoff found himself staring down the barrel of a gun that had seemingly appeared from nowhere. "You can call me Mr Fields', the man told him. "It's not my real name of course . All you need to know is that I can give you the amount of money I have promised".

Ivanoff was intrigued. He did not feel like this was a trap and the man in front of him an undercover cop, this was not the type of approach one of those would have used. The fake name did not bother him as Ivanoff was not his real one either. He just thought the name sounded cool. "Tell me more", he hinted.

The man smiled at him with perfect white teeth as he put away his gun. The gun was placed in a side holster, where it was easily accessed. The guy he noted quietly was left handed and those shiny teeth told him he was probably not as old as he looked. So his appearance was a disguise, nothing wrong with that either, Ivanoff decided. Maybe he should think up a good one to use.

"Do you know this man", a picture was thrown over in front of him. Ivanoff found himself staring at Clint Barton. From a place deep within him rage boiled up and he twisted the picture in his hands damaging its perfectness. He would like to do the same to Barton. Mr Fields watched intently, "I'll take that as a yes. You would know him as SHIELD agent Clint Barton. I believe you met briefly a few years ago".

So this man had checked his history, smart. It made him feel slightly out of his depth, he had no idea who this guy was or who he worked for. He had a feeling though that knowing the answers to those questions may just prove fatal. That made him feel nervous though he was careful not to show any sign. You could easily get shot just for a little shake, it had happened to some of his colleagues. He forced himself to look Field's in the eye calmly. His act must have worked because the man suggested, "so you want a little payback Ivanoff, against Barton and even SHIELD itself". "Yes", he'd spoken the world with a deep passion. He still remembered the humiliation he'd endured in Barton's hands as he worked him over in front of his colleagues . His hands were now tight fists at his sides, rage was something he had yet to control. Field's looked at him soberly, "ah well maybe you would not suit my purposes afterall. I do not want this man dead, or even harmed seriously. He needs to be able to help us", were his rather shocking words.

Now Ivanoff was confused, having Barton help anyone was not what he wanted. "I would prefer just to kill him", he said honestly. He knew that reply might just lose him millions of dollars but did not care. His desire to hurt the SHIELD agent was rooted deeply and he would pass up a trillion dollars if someone suggested he even shake Barton's hand. Fields' smiled at him again and his hands remained steady not even twitching toward the weapon. Obviously his attitude was fine with Fields. Ivanoff found himself feeling relieved that he had not lied to his man.

Fields leaned closer , his hazel eyes intent. He suddenly felt much more menacing. Still Ivanoff did not flinch. Fields sat back again seemingly satisfied again and told him."Oh but this is so much better Ivanoff, something that would cause him humiliation and death at the hands of his own agency". Now that sounded like a fitting type of revenge Ivan thought. Fields knew he had him now and dropped the next piece of bait, "you see Mr Ivanoff, this man is not Clint Barton." Ivan found himself bending over to look at the crumpled picture again. He had never seen Barton wear a suit, like the man in the picture but it made no difference whatsoever to his identification. Fields must be trying to trick him for some unknown reason he thought. "He's dressed differently but that is him nonetheless", he told Fields.

Fields opened a laptop that had previously lain forgotten on the seat beside him. He posted the picture he'd just seen as well as one of Barton in his SHIELD gear side by side. "This one is Clint Barton", he told him, "this one is his identical twin brother William Brandt", he tapped the suit picture. "You now possess knowledge that neither of the two agencies they work for or the men themselves have .I want to use that ignorance against SHIELD and have this one", he tapped Brandt's photo again, "infiltrate the agency by impersonating his brother." "He will then carry out a plan to cripple SHIELD beyond it's capacity to heal." It was a mind blowing plan but Ivanoff had thought it was a little too good to be true. "Okay so from what you are telling me, it seems Brandt is an agent as well. I take he does not work for our side", he hinted. "That is true, he is currently employed by IMF who are as much danger to the criminal world as SHIELD", Fields told him. "So why would he help us", Ivanoff asked. "He might be persuaded to in exchange for the knowledge of his brothers existence", Fields told him."Yeah and he might not", Ivanoff had countered. "If they truly do not know about each other then he might just think you are full of crap".

"Oh they don't know trust me on that", Fields told him. Ivanoff did not feel convinced. "How do you know", he challenged. In response Field's put up a photo of a dead man that almost had him empty his stomach on the spot. "This is what is left of the doctor who performed the surgery that erased their memories. It took awhile to get the truth but eventually he talked", Fields said it in a tone that left no doubts that it was him that had done the convincing. Suddenly the grandpa in front of him had shifted to an even higher level of dangerous , the word cold blooded stayed in his head. As he steeled himself to study the digital image of the doctor, he noticed a few things that raised questions. "Looking at his clothing and hints about the location leads me to believe that image is more than a few years old. So if you have had this knowledge all of this time, why not act before now. SHIELD could have been taken out before they became a real threat", he asked firmly. This was an important question to him.

"Because the while the bastard did know there were two of them. He did not know where either of them went. It has taken years of study to determine the location of Barton, then years more to finally track down Brandt." He has been the harder of the two to locate. But he cannot escape us now", Field added with distinct menace. "So you want to use Brandt to infiltrate SHIELD but not have Barton to do the same to the IMF. If they are dangerous I would think a double whammy would work very well", Ivanoff asked.

"For now it is only SHIELD and Barton who are in our sights Mr Ivanoff. The fallout will most likely damage IMF as well, but it will not be a deathblow". "You could say that I too have personal reasons for wanting to rid the world of SHIELD". IMF's turn will come another day"', Fields had replied. "As for your original question about compliance, Brandt will cooperate either willingly or not Mr Ivanoff ,that too I can guarantee". If you handle yourself well you will live to see the end of Barton and SHIELD. That would be the ultimate revenge". Fields crossed his arms over one another and waited for his opinion.

It of course was a tantalizing offer, though Ivanoff wondered if there was something he was missing here. As yet he had not be told how to acquire Brandt, he reminded himself. He was still interested and had to make sure Field's knew that so he framed the question in the way that made him seem like the mercenary he was. "Well the moneys good", he hinted. "Of course ,because it does carry an element of risk", Fields confirmed, " to acqure Mr Brandt you will need to contact your colleagues and make yourselves the target of the IMF. They are people who will think up creative ways to put any end to you and your team. They will not hold back , Mr Ivanoff".

"How good are we talking about", Ivan had to ask, the amount of money offered warned him about the answer he was about to receive. "This team is acknowledged as the best IMF have ever had. But not to worry Mr Ivanoff I can detect them in a way they no knowledge of and no way to counter. I will send you details of their movements so you can anticipate most of their moves and get me my prize", Fields had nearly sold him.

Field's had certainly had a way about him that was convincing. He still had the feeling that he did not get told everything . But once again the money and the chance for revenge against Barton made everything seem fine.

Xxxxxx Real Time- the unknown Hawaiian Island

Yeah and now look where you are, the others are all dead and you are on this island all by yourself. He told himself. It is one thing to know where the team was it was another to know what they were doing. That had been of course why he'd been paid such a high sum. That mission had ended with him and the others being blown up. The fault of course rested upon Brandt who could not have known his capture was the real reason for his and his colleagues so called terrorist mission. The idiot had grabbed the case they had wanted to use to draw away the rest of the team and led them on a chase up on top of the hill. Then had come the thing he had not expected, the explosion. He had mere seconds to launch himself off the cliff and into the water. His colleague Manton had survived alongside him for awhile before he'd been killed in the shark attack. It had been a harrowing experience where he'd more than earned every dollar he'd yet to be given. But it was not over yet, Brandt was not in his custody.

One thing Fields had not told him was firmly on his mind right now, how he was tracking the IMF team and specifically Brandt himself. It mattered because if that tracking method failed for some reason then what he'd told Brandt about rescue was a lie. He had to hope that Fields really was a good at the super criminal game as he seemed. The man had left him with chills that he thought after all these years of crime that he could no longer feel.

He was not he type you should fail and that prompted Ivan Ivanoff to finish counting in his head and decide to head after Agent William Brandt. He was only doing this to stall for time. Brandt was too severely injured for shooting him to have really been an option, though of course he had not wanted the other man to know that. Then of course was the fact that his gun was not water proof and he had no idea it could still fire. He had now wasted the only bullet the weapon had left.

So he'd simply run out any strength the agent had left ,so he would be less inclined to resist what Mr Fields might have in mind for him. "He will be my prize", Ivanoff told himself."Prize", it was the word Fields had also used when talking about Brandt. Surely their prize should be the destruction of SHIELD. It was although the agent was more important to Fields than he'd been led to believe. Fields had known his history and was using his hatred of SHIELD and Clint Barton to fuel his passion and get him to do his bidding. Suddenly things seemed a lot less clear. But when he thought about the image of the mutilated doctor in his head, he decided that his questions would most likely prove to be fatal. How did he know that he would not end up dead anyway as soon as he gave the man what he wanted. He didn't know for sure. However he knew that if he did not take back Brandt that there was a 100 percent likelihood Fields would hunt him down and perhaps do the same to him as he had to that doctor. It was not hard to figure out what he should do. '"Just take him Brandt, grab your money then run", he told himself.

Moving slowly he headed into the jungle of greenness in front of him. He too had sustained some injuries in the explosion, which he had fought hard to conceal from Brandt. Still he was functioning much better than the other man and that should give him the advantage. If he stopped and listened he could hear crashing in the bushes not too far ahead of him. Obviously Brandt's stealth skills were only useful in the city or other habitable locations. This was going to be way too easy. He headed toward the sounds.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Ethan and Clint hours from making landfall

Ethan's stomach grumbled so loudly that it sounded like thunder. Reaching into his sodden jacket pocket he took out a chocolate bar. It's foil wrapping had protected it from the elements. He broke it in half and gave half to Clint. "Thanks", the other man told him. Clint was staring out into the blueness of the sea. Ethan followed his gaze and saw nothing. "There's land out there", Clint suddenly told him. "What", Ethan stared and still saw nothing. Maybe it was like in the desert when he thinks he see water but it is just a mirage. Being out a sea was getting to Clint Barton. Keep calm Ethan, he told himself. He said nothing not wanting to upset Barton in any way. His silence must have told Barton something though.

"You think I'm imaging it, don't you, that the sea is playing tricks on my eyes". Well my eyes are way better than yours Hunt", Clint said firmly. To make his point he without warning plunged the long spear he had carved into the water. When he pulled out a speared fish Ethan found himself staring open mouthed. "There is a reason they call me Hawkeye you know", Clint said. Ethan still had his mouth open and felt like he was not about to close it right this minute. He had heard the name Hawkeye before. "You are an Avenger", he said it with distinct awe. "Yes, I was recruited because of my enhanced vision, Hunt. It is also the reason I have spent years running from the wrong type of people and why my mother decided to make Will and I undertake that surgery. She was terrified that the men who wanted to use my skill for assassination purposes would use Will as a method of convincing me to cooperate".

"But you are an assassin, aren't you", Ethan asked. That was what he had heard. "Yes but not for the wrong type of people Hunt. I know you don't hesitate to shoot to kill either. I can live with what I have done.", Clint told him. Hunt would probably never know how hard it had been to feel like he could live with what he was sometimes.

Ethan just nodded because he did understand exactly what Clint was talking about. "It is kind of ironical though, Mom would not be happy if she was alive", Clint added. "Nor would she be happy with what Will's career choice is either. But I suppose we will always disappoint our parents in some way."

He looked at the fish on the end of his spear and broke the emotion of the moment, "do you like raw fish Hunt", he asked.

"Not particularly", Ethan told him with a smile. "Neither do I, so I'll save him until we make landfall which should be within 6 to 7 hours if I judged this current right", Clint told him. "We have made it to within landfall quicker than I had thought, Ethan remarked. "Yes, me too but that current was particularly swift. We could potentially now be within day behind Will", Clint said it with clear excitement. Ethan did not want to douse his enthusiasm so he kept to himself the thought that the odds of finding Will on the approaching land were very small.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ivanoff aka Baxter drew out his gun as he approached the rustling. Geez Brandt was certainly out of place out here in the bush, the amount of noise he was making was enough to attract the attention of someone miles away. He flew through the bushes ahead of him only to feel the forest floor in front of him suddenly disappear. Jumping up rapidly he narrowly missed falling into the hole that Brandt had tried to conceal using bushes. Stumbling and finding his ankle twisting as he landed Ivan cursed in Russian. Looking about him he saw no sign of Brandt. Instead there was a giant palm leaf tied with a vine on one end and a small stone on the other. As the wind caught the leaf it would lift briefly off the ground and rub against the other bushes to make the sound. It'd then be pulled back down by the weight of the stone. It was clever and warned him not to underestimate William Brandt again.

Will was only a few metres away bent over and trying to choke out gasping breaths as quietly as possible. He could barely move. It was difficult partly because of exhaustion and injury as well as the fact he only had one shoe. There was a thick sock on his other foot that smelt like something had died within it, but it was his only protection against sharp objects. The sock was not going to last that much longer as already the seams were ripping as it rubbed against the ground.

Running or rather hobbling into thick jungle was only a path to death anyway. He had to keep his bearings and circle back to the beach. But what if Baxter's colleagues come, his mind asked. He could tell the man had not been lying about that. So how do they know where you are, it was something that plagued his mind. Their moves had been anticipated on the mission as well. From what Baxter had told him it seemed that Mission Cliffhanger had a different purpose to the one they had expected. It was obvious that the men had wanted him and had made themselves get on the IMF radar to achieve that aim. All the things that Baxter had spouted about his memory still bothered him. But he could not afford for his mind to get distracted, he had to survive.

He'd learn the trick with the palm leaf from one of his hunting friends. It had only taken his about 2 miuntes to set the whole trick up. But it had been physically exhausting. He was not going to be able to keep this up. Surrender, one part of him said, he does not want to kill you. You can plan an escape later. It might be the only way off this island. Come on do you really think Ethan or someone else is out there trying to find you. He hoped Ethan was, though he could not be one hundred percent positive.

So should he surrender, it was definitely a possibility. He knew there would come a time when he simply would be unable to go on. That time is not yet Brandt. Maybe there are a few more tricks you can show Baxter.

xxxxx

Brandt would have been relieved had he been able to see the helicarrier that was searching the ocean for signs of life. Its sophisticated tracking system could scan the sea in a manner that left the men on board in no doubt about the fact that neither of the parties they were searching for were at this location. "We have one more sea area to search then we move on to the landbased ones", a searcher reported. "This island will be our final destination", he placed his finger upon the image ." Our scanners have detected a fishing boat in that area so perhaps we can liase our search with them".

That fishing boat certainly looked the part with nets draped upon the deck and crayfish pots hanging from the rigging. But it was all an act. Below deck the man Ivan Ivanoff knew as Mr. Fields was cleaning his gun. Around him several other men were doing the d same. He was taking no chances and hitting the island with a full force." Once we get there you are to locate this man", he showed them all William Brandt's picture ,"and bring him to me alive. "Anyone else you may shoot to kill".


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12- Enemy Action

Captain Reggie Grey was the most highly qualified officer in SHIELDS search and rescue team. He had prepared all the equipment and medical supplies they would need to locate two or possibility three missing people. From what Fury had told him it was likely all three would be suffering from the effects of over exposure to the elements. The longer the search went on the greater the effects upon their bodies would become. He and his crew kept their eyes focused on the sea as well as the monitors around them. Peggy Graham was the newbie of the team. She had previously been a SHIELD agent but had suffered a serious injury in the line of duty that had put her out of contention for an active field duty. The fact that she had a medical background had meant that she could transfer to another division of SHIELD . Her job on the helicarrier had been to look up the information on the fishing boat that had detected to see if they could find out who owned her. They were hoping to contact that owner and ask for their help with the search. Peggy found herself studying the image of the boat intently. She had 6 brothers and had endure a lot of fishing trips in her fathers boat in her time. The more she looked at that boat the more it seemed to bother her. On paper it seemed perfectly legitimate, it was registered to a Hawaiian based company and had an owner that lived in Waikiki. So there should not be a problem, yet there was, but she could not pin down what that problem was."Have you found out who owns that boat" Reggie was asking her. "Yes", she replied,"but…,"she broke off, not to sure whether to voice her concerns.

"But what Graham, you know this contact is important. To have another means of searching would cut down valuable time", her boss chastised. Okay so now she had to tell him her thoughts. "Yes sir, I know. It is just that there is something off about that boat. As yet though I can't pin down what it is", she told him. Reggie took a long look at the fishing boat. He did not know Peggy Graham well however that did not mean that he did not respect the fact that because she was a former agent she had an inbuilt danger detector. Thinking over their briefing on this mission, he replied "hmm well it is within our search zone and Fury has warned us that the IMF's team were tracked in an unknown manner". "It however only seems to be fishing", he noted looking at the fish that littered the deck. The word triggered something within Peggy and she grinned at her boss. "Yeah well the decks do have some fish upon them but strangely they do not seem to be the type you can obtain within these waters".' She activated a scan of the boat without permission. "As well as that there is the fact that our scans cannot penetrate the lower deck. That seems a little suspicious for just a normal fishing boat", she concluded.

Reggie patted her shoulder warmly, "well done Graham, I think you just found us an important piece of information. You may continue to monitor that ship and it if puts people into its inflatable craft let me know immediately." He activated another screen and connected himself to Fury. Even though he was a very professional man he just could not help telling the director, 'Miss Graham noticed something fishy about our boat. It has fish onboard that are not found in these waters. In addition our scans are unable to penetrate its lower levels. It could have hostile intention", he concluded.

Fury was thankful he was not in the central room as he listened to this knew this would be seen as the opportunity for action the group wanted to take . They were all twitchy and impatient, wanting to do something other than sit and wait. But he had to be mindfull of the fact that he had other people watching everything the Avengers did right now. He could not send them out without there being a battle of some type taking place. As yet that had not happened. It of course was possible the boat had weapons on board but as yet they were not being used. All he could do was ask the helicarrier to keep monitoring the boat from a safe distance. As a search and rescue craft it was not equipped with weapons so he needed to ensure the personal on board we kept safe from any possible hostile act.

"Sir, the boat is closest to that island, if they have as you say a method of tracking some of our lost party. Then there may be strong indications the island is where our parties are located. Should I call off our search of the other areas and focus on the island", Reggie asked. Peggy had given him advice on this request and he felt that he had to present it to the director. "Not until there are definite indications that is where they are going". "Keep up the search Grey and let me know the minute anything changes", Fury broke off. He leaned back and drummed his fingers upon his chair. It was becoming harder for him to hold back. He could feel that there was a real threat present and he had this strong passion for countering that threat. "Dammit", he shouted loudly wishing that there was some excuse for him to act.

The others were all trying to find that excuse as well. Tony had JARVIS searching for any clues to who would have known about Clint and Will in hope the could find out who was ultimately behind the threat to SHIELD. Ivanoff was just one man and he obviously was not acting alone. When some new information scrolled across the screen Tony hoped what he had discovered may be significant.

"Director can you come out here", Tony's voice broke into Fury's reverie. Getting up he moved back into the main room. Stark had some horribly gruesome pictures up on the main screen. They brought forth a shudder. "I found some more information about the death of our doctor. It was part of a classified FBI file which is why it took longer to locate. Anyway it seems our doctors death was only one of a series of four deaths that happened over a period of a couple of months. Because of the similar pattern of injuries of the victims the Feds were thinking that a serial killer was responsible. All the victims were in the medical profession and each one had been…', Tony broke off, he was a hard man but reading this bit had made him feel sick. He just put the information up for Nick to read for himself. Nick went pale too as he read that basically the men had been operated upon without anesthetic. "Our doctor was the last to die and his death ended the spate of killings", Tony concluded. "So our perp was searching for the one who had conducted the surgery on Will and Clint", Natasha guessed. "That's why our doctor died last."

"It still doesn't give us the answers as I remember you mentioning the fact earlier that the culprit was never found" ,Steve mentioned. "Perhaps if we talked to the Feds directly they may give us more information. Often an agents own theories never make it to a written report", Fury stated. He was within moments contacting the FBI and asking to speak with someone about the case.

"Director Fury I am Special Agent Lessing, how can I help you", an older man asked as he stared at all of them. Nick briefly outlined why they were looking into the death of Doctor Denning. Agent Lessing nodded grimly. "I was a much younger agent at the time Director and even though I have seen many horrible things since then, that case still gives me nightmares." What I can tell you that did not make that file, is that Doctor Denning survived the initial attack. We altered the report to make it look like he was dead to give us time to locate the perpetrator. Our doctor never saw him clearly though and no other murders occurred, so we lost the trail". "You are right when you assumed the perpetrator was looking for someone. He asked Denning some very specific questions. When he did not get the answers he wanted he cut off several of Dennings fingers with a scalpel", Lessing told them. Steve Rogers frowned, "how can this be connected with what is happening now. Some madman was looking for Clint and Will all those years ago for some unknown reason, why would he still be wanting to fulfill that goal."

Lessing could hear that comment and cleared his throat audibly."When I said the perp was looking for someone I meant one person. The only name mentioned was Will. Our doctor could not answer that question and that's when the perp stopped removing his fingers. He moved on to give him an extra painful parting gift, disembowelment. It took him two days to die of his injuries director and it was not a peaceful passing.". We did try to locate this Will ourselves but had no success". If you know him then it could finally bring a conclusion to this case", Lessing remarked. "We are actually trying to locate him ourselves", Fury told him. "It seems like he is still being hunted and possibly it is by the same man who killed your victims". He broke off the connection after promising to keep the agent up to date with developments and turned to the others awaiting their opinion.

"He only wanted Will", Natasha remarked. "All those years ago Clint was only 8 years old and had not heard of SHIELD. So how can this be related to Ivanoff wanting to capture Will so he could impersonate Clint. " "There is something we are missing ",Nick acknowledged.

"Rogers is right in the fact that Dennings murder was a long time ago. No matter how good Clint was I am still not sold on the idea someone would snatch Will to get Clint to cooperate. Clint was only a child himself and would be easy to manipulate", Tony remarked. "Yet Clint was sure their mother made them undergo surgery to keep them safe from those who hunted them", Lila remarked. "Perhaps though that is only what Clint thinks and not what he knows. There could be another reason for why she wanted their memories gone." Now that comment made them all think. What did they actually know about the reasons Clint's mother had made that horrible decision. Their only clue had come from the troubled mind of Clint Barton.

" If we do link this murder to present events then whoever is behind this is not looking for Will because he can impersonate Clint. Too many years have passed for them to be 100 percent sure that neither of our agencies do know there are two of them ". We could have just kept that knowledge quiet", Nick reflected. "To continue that line of thinking along then it would seem that SHIELD is not the target".

"But the enemy have Ivanoff working for them and he is definitely upon SHIELDS radar", Bruce reminded them.

"Yeah a man who hates SHIELD and Clint, who would willingly and without question obtain the brother for whoever asked him, thinking that he was going to be used against SHIELD". It is easy to use our hatred against us", Nick told them. "So essentially we have a mystery on our hands, why do they want only Will".

Natasha was not focusing on that question at the moment because an awful thought has come into her mind. If this was not related to SHIELD then Fury did not need to offer any assistance beyond trying to get Clint back. Will did not work for him.

Nick saw her bite her lip and sensed what was on her mind. "SHIELD was involved the moment Clint left to find his brother and will continue to be involved up until the moment we nail that cold blooded bastard who killed those doctors to a very big wall ", he told her passionately. "So back to my question",he hinted. "Well this man had spent years trying to find Will so it must be something important", Bruce told them. It was of course an obvious statement but it had set Nick's mind a whirling. "Trying to find Will, I did wonder who would have the ability to hide him so well from the world. He was off the radar long before he joined the IMF". "Maybe our perp is not looking for Will at all but for whoever had the ability to hide him away", Nick concluded. "It has to be someone powerful and important and that person must still be alive today or else there would be no point in all of this", Steve told them. "Whoever our perp is thinks Will knows the answer and is going to torture the information out of him painfully, Natasha warned them. 'They all grimaced at that thinking of the horrible pictures Stark had upon his screen. "Will won't know the answer though, his memory has also been erased", Thor remarked. "Yes but we do not know how extensive that memory loss is, we really know nothing about Will Brandt", Nick reminded them.

"Yeah and there is a rather large problem, Bruce remarked softly. Even though he was not an agent he could still tell there was something they had forgotten. Perhaps he had thought of it because he too was good at hiding from the world. "Don't forget about the fact the IMF team were being tracked and that Will Brandt is part of that team. Remember I asked you why hiding Will away from the world was no longer working. " How do we know the enemy has not already located him", Bruce concluded.

"Shit 'Fury swore loudly. They all jumped. "Captain Grey contacted me earlier and told me that there was a suspicious fishing boat within the search area. As yet they have not put a boat into the water and attempted to make landfall on the closest habitable point. I have Reggie monitoring them and he will notify me if things change."

He finished speaking and looked over at the others, their eager eyes looked back. They all knew the threat level had just gone up again ."Suit up", he told them surprisingly. "I want you all ready to move if anyone on that boat so much as even sneezes too loudly.

On the boat Mr Fields had delayed putting his armed team into an inflatable. The scanners on the boat had detected what was mostly likely a helicopter within the search zone. The had now waited over 2 hours for the thing to leave but it had not. Moving up upon deck himself Fields trained his high powered binoculars upon the helicopter. He could only just make it out from this distance. But the brief glance was enough to tell him it was not normal helicopter, its design was unique and used by one specific group of people, SHIELD. So what were they doing out here in the search zone. Their presence was not a good sign. Returning to the cabin of the boat Fields threw one of the weapons against the side of the wall with enough force to shatter it completely. He could think of only two reasons why SHIELD was present, one they somehow thought the missing IMF agent was Clint Barton and were searching for him or two they knew it was Will Brandt and were searching for him on Barton's behalf. It could mean that Barton himself was also nearby.

A scream of pure rage passed his lips and his face contorted into a terrifying sight as the noise loudly echoed of the walls. The men around him looked nervous shuffled nervously and many placed their hands over their ears. Then just like a storm his rage passed and calm returned. It was a cold calculating calm that would see him through this latest crisis. He brought out the photo of Brandt, "it is possible that there are two men that look like this in the area. Capturing both of them would give any one of you a bonus of 2 million dollars", he told them. The mention of the money was an effort to sooth the nerves of the ones who thought he may just be a little too dangerous. "With these latest developments we will wait until nightfall to land the craft". He smiled, "we will also load the little surprise in the hold and send that helicarrier a very loud and painful message". "Smith give the team the landing coordinates closest to the locator signal", he requested. Smith went strangely pale he noted and he felt that rage building up within him again. "What is the problem, he asked through gritted teeth. "The signal was clearly coming from the island sir",Smith replied, that was he knew the good news which was what he wanted to tell this man first. "Yes and…", Fields prompted. "We are no longer receiving any signal sir",Smith rushed out. "What", Fields screamed the word out. He saw the men back up slightly expecting another rage fueled tantrum. Going over to the machine that had faithfully given him a location of William Brandt he noted that Smith was correct, the signal had stopped. It did not mean his target was dead though, still it was not a development he had expected. Now he had no way of knowing a specific location. They would just have to land in the last place the signal had come from and hope William Brandt was too injured to have moved.

He had lost contact with Ivanoff as well and could not rely on the man to bring him Brandt. It had taken him awhile to organize obtaining this fishing boat which was why he had wasted so much time since the signal had moved from being land based to the sea. He had seen the devastation IMF had inflicted upon Ivanoff and his colleagues temporary base. The fact that Brandt had survived spoke of the fact that he was not chasing some soft pushover. But it had been days now so it was likely Brandt was running out of energy. All he really needed him to do though was talk and that did not necessarily have to be on the boat. If he found Brandt on the Island he would simply ask him the questions right there. With that thought in mind Fields opened a locker and extracted a very large knife.

"Be prepared to depart for the Island at 4 am", he told the men around him. That timing meant they could leave the boat in the cover of darkness yet only have a few hours until morning. It was pointless to search in total blackness. "Get some rest", he told his men.

Xxxxx

Ethan and Clint had finally made it to the land. Wading ashore at a tiny little inlet they looked around at the dense bush. "If Will is here then he should have stayed near the coastline", Clint reflected. "This particular inlet though would be tidal and this tiny bit of beach would disappear, it is not the best spot to wait for rescue. Maybe if we move around the island we could find a better one". He knew he was just hoping for a miracle. Ethan turned to move in a clockwise direction only to find Clint pulling him back, "that way, the bush is too dense in the other direction", the SHIELD agent told him. He agreed with that assessment so followed Clint around the rocks.

It took them about 2 hours in rapidly failing light to reach a sizeable beach. Looking around they could see no signs of life. Clint squatted down feeling exhaustion suddenly wash over him, this search had taken a heavy toll upon him but he had up until now been pushing the effects away. With the physical exhaustion came the despair, he had been kidding himself if he thought Will was still alive.

Stumbling he let himself fall onto the sand near a dense little area of bush. He covered his head in his hands and wept. Ethan let Cliint have that moment to himself. He too sunk down upon the sand also feeling exhausted.

Clint lifted his head slightly out of the sand looking into the bush in front of him. Seconds later he rocketed to his feet bent over and pulled some clothing from the bush. He waved it at Ethan. Ethan smiled as he told Clint "it's Wills"

It was like finally getting a feast, both of them suddenly felt suddenly rejuvenated . Clint walked along the beach checking other pieces of shrubbery while Ethan looked for signs of a fire.

"Why would Will leave the beach", Clint asked after 35 minutes of fruitless searching. Ethan had already found the reason, "there is more than one set of footprints over here. It looks like one of our hostiles definitely did survive the explosion and is tracking Will".

That did not sound good. Clint only felt worse when he looked over at the sea and saw something just on the horizon. "There's a boat out there", he told Ethan. Ethan could not see the boat but did not question Clint's word. "That's good isn't it, we can find Will then signal them", Ethan remarked.

"Is it good Hunt", Clint pondered. "You did tell me your team was tracked in some unidentifiable manner. If that enemy team was not working alone then it is possible that boat could contain hostiles ". I recommend we get off the beach. Mostly likely any hostile force will use the cover of darkness to conceal their movements.'

Ethan swallowed, the stakes had just got a whole lot higher and more dangerous. Neither Clint or he were armed and possibly they would face hostiles with significant fire power. "Remember I said we can use what we have", Clint shouted over at him. He turned to look at the other man, "on this island I think we can find a lot we could use'", Clint told him.

For some reason Ethan found himself smiling, he was not stuck on an island with anyone, this was Hawkeye , an Avenger and he was not going to give up without a fight. Ethan was going to be at his side during that fight.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13- Battle lines

Benji, Jane and Luther found themselves back upon the streets of Waikiki around 11pm at night. It had been a grueling process of questioning with each question designed to try and trip them up and confess. Of course none of them had done anything, so Martin was never going to get anywhere. Still after awhile details did become blurred and you became so tired, thirsty and hungry that it was easy to just say you had done it to make it end. Benji suspected the director expected it to be him that would crack first and he was proud of the fact he had kept himself focused. It had ended with the director coming in to tell the agent who was questioning him that he was free to go.

"I have had communication from Fury who believes the enemy is still tracking the movements of Hunt and Brandt, therefore any of you cannot be responsible for giving information to the enemy", Martin told Benji. "However Agent Dunn, I also found that you gave SHIELD limited access to our systems". That is a violation of security Dunn, so get out and don't come back, I will not have an agent I cannot trust work for me". Martin had screamed that last comment out. Benji had not flinched, "agents are valuable assets director and you were prepared to just right us all off." He stood up straight eyeballing the director, he knew he'd just been fired but he wanted some details out of the director before he walked out the door. "So are we sending an IMF team in to back up SHIELDS search and rescue efforts", he asked.

He knew the basic outline of what was going on and thought that IMF should definitely be getting involved. "No Dunn we are not, there is still no proof Brandt or Hunt are even alive, Fury has not actually had contact with either of them. This all could be a trap to ensnare SHIELD and we would walk right into it", Martin declared. Benji stared in disbelief, "I thought we were supposed to be the best director ,since when did we walk away from danger. Even if it is a trap, SHIELD are our allies we should back them up". It was, he thought an impassioned speech, but Martin just said, "I have made my decision Dunn, now get out of my sight".

So he had walked out of the base with Jane and Luther at his side. He did not tell them he had been fired as he did not want to distract them, mind you if they did what was within his thoughts most likely they would all end up being fired anyway. They walked back toward their hotel talking softly as they went. "Let's just hire some equipment and go and handle the situation ourselves", Benji told Luther and Jane. "That dickhead Martin is obviously not going to get involved". "Yeah what does the man need, a firefight, I can't believe IMF is getting so spineless", Luther agreed. "I would have to agree", they all jumped as that voice spoke because it did not belong to one of them. They had not noticed the man that had slipped close enough to hear them speak, which was in itself a shock. His identity was the next shock. As they moved under a light they could clearly see the man's face. Benji found his nervous shaky persona descending again, "sorry Mr Secretary", he said. "No need to apologise Dunn I do not agree with Martin's assessment", the secretary of the IMF told them. They had not heard that their boss was even in Hawaii so were surprised to be talking with him in the middle of the street. "However the higher ups may agree Dunn, SHIELD has been under some intense scrutiny of late with some suggesting their whole agency should be disbanded. Barton himself has been red flagged as a possible threat with suggestions he should either be incarcerated or terminated. Director Fury has had to do some fast talking to calm things down . There are rumours though that nothing can stop the eventual fall of SHIELD .Anyone who aids them at the moment will find themselves under that same intense gaze as well. It means we would have to be accountable for our actions and IMF has quite a few things we would rather not be made public Dunn. Since Hunt and Brandt have been disavowed, it has given Martin a way out of a situation that is likely to prove to be messy. Martin made a political decision Dunn to ensure IMF does not fall with SHIELD".

"Great", Benji muttered sarcastically. He did not like it when decisions were controlled by people who had no idea what was really going on. "So we just stand back and do nothing", Benji pressed ," Brandt and Ethan work for us and we are letting SHIELD do the dangerous work of rescuing them. I suppose Martin thinks it is alright since they don't really exist anymore"." I would have thought that wouldn't matter and the goal would be ridding the world of someone who seems to be very dangerous. If we ignore that then we are all dickheads" . Jane and Luther thought Benji was being very blunt and would most likely get told to keep his opinions to himself.

Their boss however did not chastise him, just asking all of them to come with him. They followed the Secretary to a normal looking car and got in. They noted there was no official driver with the Secretary moving himself into the drivers seat. "Sir what are you doing in Hawaii", Jane asked. "I got a call from Nick Fury who filled me in on the latest developments", The Secretary told them. "It really was a rather large surprise to find out that Brandt has an identical twin working in SHIELD". "Yeah we were surprised as well", Jane confirmed. "If our agencies had talked more often it is likely we would have found out before Clint Barton decided to walk into our base here pretending to be Brandt", The secretary stated. "He did it to find his brother", Luther remarked. "Yes, but the fact he even got in the doorway raised all sorts of alarms. It made it look like our security is easy to violate."We will have some issues to work out should both Brandt and Barton be recovered alive", the secretary concluded. They noted the car was moving out of the city and heading toward Diamond head. "Where are we going sir", Jane asked. "SHIELD also has a base in Hawaii agent Carter. It is where Nick Fury sent a fully equipped search and rescue party from. We are going there where you will be joining SHIELDS team in the search for Agents Brandt, Hunt and Barton".

Benji , Jane and Luther all smiled. "This is an unofficial mission Agents and if you get caught know that I will disavow any knowledge of your actions." You see Agent Dunn I am most definitely not a dickhead", the secretary stated. No Benji decided he wasn't. They did not know their newest secretary that well but already he was proving that he did care about the welfare of his agents.

He turned into what looked like an old bunker. When the iron doors opened wide and they drove underground they all felt a sense of anticipation.

A very quick 5 minute drive through a long tunnel ended in another huge iron door. When that swung open they could not all help staring in awe. In front of them was a huge underground complex. "Wow, Benji gasped, 'how did they hide all this in here". "That is what SHIELD is good at Dunn, hiding stuff like this", the secretary replied. "Come on, we have been invited inside". They all got out and entered the iron doors. A short staircase went upward toward what was presumably some sort of control centre. An attractive brunette was waiting at the bottom of the staircase. "Mr Killian", she shook the Secretary's hand," Director Fury sends his greetings". "He has authorized me to show you certain facilities within this base then take you and your team to a place where you may await the arrival of the SHIELD team".

"That you Agent Hill", Gideon Killian aka The secretary of the IMF stated as he stared at her name badge.

Soon they were all given badges and let up the flight of stairs. They did not however enter the control room area. Instead they went along a small side corridor and into another room. It was easily identifiable as an operating theatre. "SHIELD has its best medical team standing by should any of the injured agents need surgery" ,Maria Hill told them. "Director Fury has extended that medical help to your agents as well Mr Secretary", she affirmed. "Thank you Agent Hill, since we are not officially involved then I better accept your offer", he smiled at her.

They walked back out of the theatre then further along the corridor to a large room. "You will have a few hours to brief your agents and familiarize them with our weapons before director Fury arrives", Maria told them. "All the information you will need is on that data base over there". "There is a kitchen area and bathroom just off this room that you may use to refresh yourselves. All other areas of this base are restricted to SHIELD personal", Maria added. She doubted the IMF agents would wander off, but it was standard to tell all visitors that they did not get free reign of all facilities.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Agent Hill ", Gideon stated warmly. When she left he turned to the team, "I will brief you just like it was a normal iMF mission", he told them. Walking to the walls he slid one open to reveal weapons, "take your pick", he told them. He watched them chosing knowing that this was the easiest part of what was to come. Next he had to tell them all about the SHIELD team they would accompany and that would be truly surprising and perhaps terrifying as well. It would be very interesting to see their reactions he thought.

After they had settled in seats around a large table Gideon took a deep breath, "my main job is to brief you on the SHIELD team, so that you can get to know them prior to the mission". Oh boy he thought this was going to be good. Touching a button he put the Avengers pictures up on the screen. "This is your team, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk and Black Widow". He noticed they were all staring at the pictures like they could not believe what they were seeing. "We are working with The Avengers", Luther muttered in awe. "All of them", Jane squeaked with her eyes firmly fixed upon the giant green form of the Hulk. "Yes, all of one's pictured"." They are a formidable team and with such a lot of power comes problems, which is why they have been under so much scrutiny. Not everyone wants them to intervene if it means death and destruction follows in their wake". He showed them what was left of New York. "They were in New York not long ago fighting a threat there. Nobody complained about their presence at the time, but after they left all the people could see was that their city was in ruins", Gideon concluded.

"Who were they fighting again", Benji asked. He heard some really off the wall rumour and just wanted to be assured it was not true. Of course it isn't,he told himself. "Aliens", Gideon said quite calmly. Oh gosh it was true thought Benji, he fidgeted in his seat wondering what the Avengers had done to defeat such a foe. Jane just sat there with her eyes still fixated upon the Hulk and frankly looking terrified. Luther spluttered the water he'd been drinking out of his mouth, he'd been the calmest until the secretary had mentioned the word aliens. "Are you kidding", he asked in disbelief. "No Agent Stickwell I am not kidding. SHIELD deals with the type of things that may give the rest of us nightmares. I know that all of you are very good agents but I seriously doubt you could have survived the battle of New York". What the Avengers had to do wasn't pretty and many people did die. But it saved us all from slavery from an alien world"." I am not telling you this to frighten you just to prepare you for the fact that these are not your average agents and the methods they use may actually be not that safe,"Gideon told them seriously. Benji was still trying to grasp this whole idea, it seemed so unreal."Shit and we have to work with them, why can't we have a umm normal team", he asked in that same annoying squeaky tone that seemed to come upon him whenever he was totally terrified. "Because Barton is an Avenger as well and naturally his team would take a personal interest in his retrieval just like you have with Hunt and Brandt", Gideon replied. "Ethans out there with the one they want to lock up or kill, that is not that reassuring Mr Secretary", Luther muttered. "Clint Barton is one of the good guys as are the rest of the Avengers", he smiled rather strangely at them, "you can of course refuse this mission, but it would be rather spineless and actually make you all out to be dickheads too". Now that he figured was telling them. Benji looked rather shamefaced at that comment. He had been the one who had pressed for them to get involved and now because he was scared of working with people with special abilities it seemed like he was backtracking. So that really does make you look like you are the one who is spineless, he told himself. Just take a breath and think about the fact that you are rescuing Brandt and Ethan.

He looked intently at the others for one long minute. "I suppose we do all feel uncomfortable working with such unusual people but we should just think of the mission", he told them. Luther shrugged," yeah,why not", "it'll certainly be memorable". Benji and Jane had to agree with that. They shook off their nerves and doubts and told themselves that if Ethan could work with an Avenger then so could they. "Good, the flying members of the team should be here very soon", Gideon told them. Somehow it seemed that their boss was not talking about flying via aircraft. "Uum did you say flying as in by themselves", Benji squeaked again. "You will really have to work on that nervous voice Agent Dunn", Gideon told him. "Oh and just know that Director Martin does not have the authority to fire anyone. I do though. We will have words about you allowing SHIELD access to our systems. But that is for another time. Now all I want you to do is focus".Benji nodded nervously. This was one mission that most likely set the new benchmark for being dangerous .

Xxxxxxxxx

Ethan and Clint huddled together over a very small fire. They had to make sure nobody hostile on the shore or sea could see the fire. Then of course was the tricky fact they wanted Will to know he was no longer alone. He though would be naturally suspicious and not approach directly. Clint cooked the fish he had caught and shared it with Ethan. Both of them were starving and found their stomach heaved in protest as they ate the food. "I can fashion some arrows from trees and use a strong branch to make a bow. It would give us a weapon of sorts", Clint told Ethan. "It won't be that effective against guns", Ethan warned him. "I took out aliens armed with just a bow and arrows Hunt, I am sure I can handle a few armed types in the jungle", Clint told him firmly. Ethan's mind had stopped at the point Clint had said aliens. He opened his mouth to ask more then rapidly closed it again deciding he would rather not know. "You are getting better at that", Clint told him with a grin. "Yeah well you are introducing me to whole world Barton", Ethan told him. Clint smiled again, "you are not a bad partner Hunt", he responded sincerely. Ethan curled himself up near the small flame. " I wonder how far away Will is and how badly he is injured. There was a fair amount of blood on his clothing ,but not a lethal amount", he added quickly. Clint surveyed the darkened jungle around them wishing they had some type of heat seeking machinery with them. "He could be mere metres away and we would not see him. We will have to wait until light to begin our search. It'll mean another night out in the elements for Will which decreases his survival rate again. We don't have any choice though", he said sadly. Pulling another long stick down beside him he used a sharp stone to begin to shape it into an arrow. "Don't get comfortable yet Hunt, you can help me build our arsenal ".

Xxxxxxxx

Will was in fact only 2 miles from their location. He was lying in a small hole in the ground with leaves covered over the top of him. It was best he decided to hide rather than run anymore, especially since he could hardly move. To make sure Ivanoff did not sneak up upon him , he had set snares in the area. It had been an exhausting task with only one functioning arm. His teeth had taken the place of his right arm holding the vines while he tied them in place. He'd almost passed out after he had finished with his eye sight going all sparkly. It was a warning that the blood loss he had suffered was taking a toll upon his body. He had managed to use moisture on the leaves around him to give himself a drink and had found some wild berries that he had identified as edible but even that would not keep him going much longer. Maybe this hole would become his grave. Don't do that Will he told himself again.

Curling himself up slightly for warmth he let his eyes droop shut .

When he came partly awake again it was still dark. His entire body ached and he tried to shift himself into a more comfortable position . He found though that he could not move. By the feeling in his legs and one moveable arm he knew his physical condition had nothing to do with his lack of movement, it was because he was tied up. Pieces of vine entwined both his arms and legs and they were tight enough to restrict any movement. Even though it was dark he found he could not immediately see anyone.

So if Ivanoff had found him while he was asleep and tied him up then he must have left him here to go and get reinforcements. That thought made Will's throat go even drier. Hearing a rustling in the bushes nearby Will braced himself for the worst. But after another 5 minutes of listening to the rustling sounds he realized they were not getting any closer. When he heard some creative swear words coming from a short distance away he found himself relaxing. Ivanoff may have caught him but then he had found himself trapped in one of the snares. He had began to struggle,now it was a race to see who could free themselves first.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

On board the fishing boat the man known as Mr Fields looked over at his attack squad. All of them were highly trained mercenaries who had very few scruples, they would be happy to do anything he asked as long a he paid them well. He was well aware of the fact that since the helicarrier belonged to SHIELD what he was about to do would be seen a san act of aggression. He did not care because one thing he had told Ivanoff that was true was the fact that he did have cause to hate that agency. It was highly likely that Fury would even send in the Avengers. He had a video feed waiting to show the world more footage of the devastation these enhanced beings were causing. Sending the footage along with pictures of dead people would be a very good way of forcing the people in power to take action against The Avengers and SHIELD. While violence was effective political power could be even better.

Moving over to the far end of the hold he helped two men mount the rocket launcher onto its stand. The projectile inside the launcher had been enhanced to include heat seeking technology, that Helicarrier was going to find escape very difficult.

Looking at the clock Fields smiled, "I want everybody in the inflatables and ready to go. " The men followed his commands. Fields hit the button to open the hold doors, "firing the launcher now", he told his men.

On board the helicarrier they were skimming the surface of the ocean idling while a large beam searched the sea. Everyone on board was getting tired, but they knew that their search was almost over. With 3 out of 4 search areas eliminated they could now say for sure that the lost agents were indeed upon that Island.

Peggy was mapping out an island based search when every alarm upon the helicarrier went off.

When she saw the cause of the alarm she found herself screaming, "sir systems report that a missile was just fired from that boat. It is locked onto our position".

"Shit, take evasive action", Captain Grey yelled. He hurriedly informed Fury of what was happening. Seconds later he was thrown sideways as the helicarrier rapidly changed direction. "Sir the missile is changing course as well, looks like it is heat seeking", Peggy reported in her icy calm voice.

Grey took over the controls, here in the ocean there was very little heat to draw the missile off course . He would have to fly as fast as possible out of the area and hope the thing lost the lock upon them. "The boat is now putting inflatables into the water", Peggy reported. She brought up the picture of two inflatables with heavily armed personal. "So they are drawing us off", Grey muttered. "If if there are three agents alive on that island how are they going to cope with a small army coming there way".

Peggy wondered the same. But as she looked at the monitors around her the thoughts changed to thinking of their own survival. "The missile has increased speed sir, we are not going to be able to out run it. Unless we evade it in some manner it will hit us with the next 5 minutes".


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14- unexpected developments

On board the fishing boat

"Sir the missile is locked onto target, detonation is expected within 4 minutes", one mercenary told Mr Fields. "Good, keep tracking the missile I want to know the minute the target is destroyed." He did not want any surprises to occur just when it looked like they had the upper hand. "That helicopter or whatever it is seems to be increasing speed, it is trying to outrun the missile", the same mercenary reported. "Well it is not going to succeed these things were designed to take out the fastest military planes. They are also good for other things", Fields grinned rather nastily.

On board the helicarrier everybody had their eyes focused on the fast approaching dot on the screen. Captain Grey was trying every flying trick he could think of to throw the missile off course, but it was still relentlessly bearing down upon them. "Let's get closer to the island and decrease our height, if we are low enough the missile might hit the ground before it hits us", he told the crew. The odds were not great on that he knew, this missile seemed to have a state of the art system that was not easily distracted.

"2 minutes until impact', Peggy warned. If they looked out of the bridge windows they would have seen the missile bearing down upon them. None of them wanted to stare their own death in the face, they would keep on fighting until the last minute. "Change course now", Grey boomed out. Another jerk and the helicarrier rapidly changed direction. The missile seemed unfazed simply altering its trajectory again. "1 minute and closing, Sir it seems like there is no escape", Peggy told their Captain.

Captain Grey dared himself to look out the window. There is was, like a ball of fire coming right for them, '"brace for impact", he told his crew.

Xxxxxx

On the Island Will was trying his hardest to free himself from the vines that immobilized him. It was difficult though to do so in the darkness with only one functioning hand and his teeth. Thankfully he could still hear the swearing coming from the shrubbery a short distance away, indicating Ivanoff still had not freed himself from his snare. Using his teeth he leaned forward to chew the bonds upon his legs. He gasped at pain that movement caused in his tortured body. Tears leaked from his eyes as he kept chewing. A few more minutes of painful chewing and he could feel the bonds loosening.

It would not be long until he was free. While his teeth worked he used his good hand to free his paralyzed one. He was just removing the final tangle of vine when a sound like a loud thunder clap boomed out around him. That sound was one he was all too familiar with , the boom of something exploding brought back into his mind the horrifying moment when the cliff top and house had been blasted into the sea. But what had happened this time and was it a good sign or not. He hurriedly returned to trying to free himself, just in case.

Less that 2 miles away Clint and Ethan jerked awake as the boom awoke them from their disturbed slumber.

Clint could feel the fact that both his breathing and heart rate had just picked up. He stood upright and stared into the darkness. Beside him Ethan had gone from sleepy to fully alert in seconds ," I know that sound Clint", Ethan cautioned. "Yes so do I Hunt, it could have been that boat exploding which might be a good thing. Then again it could be a sign that trouble is heading our way", Clint remarked. He looked over at their mini arsenal of branches sharpened into arrows and spears. Ethan would use the spears and he the arrows. They still did not know what to expect though when the enemy finally came. "Do we go and stake ourselves out near the beach. You may be able to take out a few bad guys with your arrows before they even land", Ethan told Clint. "It would be a good plan Hunt, but something tells me that any enemy would not be stupid enough to use the main beach as a landing sight. They would know that we could hide in the tree line and pick them off as they come ashore". "I would say they will land in one of those inlets then fan out through the bush in an attempt to trap us. The one who is of course vulnerable is Will. If he is not in good physical condition then he may not be able to escape. Once they have him they could use him as bait to lure us out of hiding", Clint cautioned. He really feared for Will's safety and knew that they were running out of time to find him.

"Then we will have to try and find Will first", Ethan told him firmly. Clint just hoped they could find him.

xxxxxxx

Back in Hawaii Gideon Killian secretary of the IMF had finally met Nick Fury director of SHIELD. They were eyeing each other slowly taking time over their assessment. Killian was the first to break his gaze, deciding it was time to get down to business. "Thank you for allowing IMF access to your base, Director Fury", he stated warmly. '"That of course is no problem for an ally", Nick told him, "it has taken us long enough to get around to a meeting. I wish it was a social occasion so we would have more time to get acquainted , unfortunately though we seem to have pressing concerns"."I agree Director Fury but we could at least to decide to cast off our titles and make use of our first names. Sometimes I almost forget I have one", Gideon told him. Nick smiled in acknowledgement. He was beginning to like the Secretary of the IMF. But that could change once he crossed into the territory of having to ask questions about his agents. "I think we have to determine who our enemy is Gideon", Nick remarked. "Unfortunately getting the answers may means getting a little personal about Agent William Brandt". "Yes I have read Starks report, it does seem like Brandt is the target. We of course do not have knowledge of his life as a child Nick. Agent Brandt has never been able to answer any of those type of questions for us. The cause was listed as car accident at the age of 8 which left him suffering amnesia", Gideon informed Nick. Nick blew out an audible breath, "so we know nothing then", he sighed. "Well maybe not nothing Nick. There are sealed portions of Brandt's file that date back to his early teen years. What happened to him then may or may not be relevant", Gideon informed him. "This is all information that would not be uncovered during any computer searches". He hesitated in revealing very personal information but did not see any other alternative. Unfortunately if you became the target for some very bad people then looking into your life became a necessity. "A patrolman for the NYPD found Will wandering the streets injured at the age of 13. He had a severely broken arm, cracked ribs and numerous serious bruises and cuts to all parts of his body. It looked like he had been beaten by somebody. The telling thing here, is those cuts were caused by and I quote, a scalpel like instrument".

"Will's last name was Harmon back then , a couple had fostered him from the age of 8 Nick. All they could tell the police was that Will had run away . It was apparently not the first time either". "All Will would say about them was that he did not like them ". But they were not the ones responsible for hurting him. No matter how much they prodded him, he would not say who had hurt him. The NYPD stated that he seemed terrified about speaking up and nothing they could say would reassure him". So the NYPD eventually dropped the case. Will was returned to the welfare system and sent to another city in case the perp came looking for him" .Strangely enough though there are no records of where he went . I am assuming that no further incidences happened," Gideon concluded." Okay the scalpel attack could indicate that it was the same man who killed our doctors. But then again, Will is alive, our attacker is not afraid to follow through and kill his victim". I doubt Will's young age would make a difference", Nick mused." So it may or may not be related to what is happening now." "If it was the same man then he may have lost Will's trail again until recently".

"It is hard to know what is relevant here. How about the name Brandt, does that come from a foster family ". It would Nick guessed be logical that Brandt had taken another families name. But Gideon had a surprise for him. "Actually no, he told us the name came from a book he was reading."Brandt said that none of his foster homes ever worked out well for him". Fury found that piece of information interesting. But once again he had no idea whether it was even relevant. There were children who assumed the names of their heroes but he did not know of a hero called Brandt. Perhaps he should just move onto more recent history then.

"So how did he come to be an IMF agent Gideon",Fury asked. "Ahh well Brandt was a fairly troubled teen so the authorities thought that sending him into military training might provide discipline. They discovered during the course of this training that he has a photographic memory with the ability to recall literally thousands of facts, they nicknamed him the mini computer at Military school. He also qualified as a marksman with weapons. Combine the two and you have a very effect analyst as well as agent. We recruited him after he had completed 5 years of service", Gideon concluded. "So he would have had to pass two rounds of checks, one for military and one for IMF yet neither uncovered existence of Clint. I know how complete those checks are Gideon. It just seems inconceivable that Clint and Will could be hidden from the world as well as each other so effectively."

"Yet it happened Nick", Gideon acknowledged. "There would be a certain amount of secrecy attached to his whereabouts while in the military then again while he worked in IMF. Any general queries could easily have been buried. I guess unless they were actually seen together most people would dismiss the fact that perhaps they'd seen one of them in another place." But you are not interested in that theory Nick you assume that someone is protecting Will for an unknown reason."

The secretary's voice had changed a little now Nick reflected, he sounded tense, like he was going to get accused of something. Okay thought Fury perhaps he already guesses what I want to know next. He opened his mouth to speak but Gideon got in first, "to answer what is on your mind, no IMF did not deliberately withhold information regarding the existence of Clint from Will or anyone else, it was a genuine surprise. I suppose I can ask you the same question, but you would give me the same answer".

Nick nodded firmly, yes he reflected he could have decided not to tell Clint about Will had he known. Having a relative would have certainly complicated the tasks Clint had undertaken. He knew IMF could have easily decided the same. But Gideon Killian was not lying, that he could tell. "I had to ask", he stated. "Yeah I guess you did. I know how things work director", Gideon sighed. "Yes you do. I guess we are just going around in circles getting nowhere. There always seems to be something we are missing", Nick reflected. "Maybe you should just answer your own question Nick Fury", Gideon prompted, "who would have the ability to hide someone from the world."If we assume for instance that the knife attack when he was 13 is related, then the perp may not have killed Will because someone intervened. But they obviously did not make themselves known to the authorities and help find the person responsible. They also just left Will to fend for himself. You would really want to keep your identity safe to allow all those things. So who would do that ", Gideon pressed. He already knew the answer and was just paving the way for Nick Fury to come to his own conclusion. "Well your agency has the ability to cover things things up as do we, but it wasn't either of us", Nick replied. "Then that is your answer Nick, there is another agency involved ",Gideon responded."Lets contact all of them and see if we can find anything".

Nick smiled and Gideon smiled back. They shook hands firmly, united in finding the truth.

Xxxxx

Earlier Nick Fury had given the Avengers a very specific briefing . "For this mission I want to emphasize one important fact, I'd like you all to keep a low profile". Thor frowned, and tried to look at himself, " I don't have anything that is low", he remarked. "Oh boy", Bruce muttered. "It means Thor that if you want in on this mission then you do not openly use your super powers. There are some very important people watching you at the moment and just waiting to accuse you of something. Since their accusation relates mainly to your special ablilities then I want you to test yourselves by using more ordinary means to stop the enemy. Bruce, Thor this might be more of an issue for both of you." You do not have to agree to come on this mission as I am sure Steve , Natasha and the IMF team can handle things very effectively", Nick told him firmly.

Thor looked unsure until Steve reassured him," just don't use the hammer, hit them solidly with your fist, that should be quite effective". Bruce you could just..umm", Steve found himself not knowing what to say. Bruce smiled to himself, "yes Steve I am just a scientist and my special trick is what makes me valuable on any type of mission where enemy action is likely. I really don't know how to do anything else." He paused ," you know that I am not comfortable with the Hulk and this mission would give me an opportunity to see how much pressure I can handle". He often shut himself away from the world in an effort to contain the urges that would make him transform. But what if he did not have to do that, if he could let Bruce Banner handle dangerous things instead of the Hulk. It could change everything for him. If Clint and Natasha could be on the team and not have special powers then so could he. He looked over at Natasha, "would you show me how to use a gun", he asked. Natasha did not argue or try to talk him out of it, because there was a determined look on Bruce Banners face that had not been there before. To not Hulk out would be a real challenge for him. She hoped he could actually pass that challenge when bullets started flying around him. Without thinking she put her hand over his", I will help you Bruce", she told him with a smile. Bruce felt the warmth of her hand and found himself holding it in his hand and stroking it softly. A moment later he remembered that she was someone else's girlfriend and reluctantly let go.

"Then lets join those IMF agents and get this mission underway", Steve remarked.

They met Jane ,Benji and Luther in what was clearly a flight deck. Jane could not help staring, first at Thor then at Steve Rogers. Both were handsome men and it was easy to forget that one of them was not human. Thor smiled back at her warmly and Jane felt a hot flush coming on. Keep your mind on the job she told herself firmly.

"So this is everyone, I thought we were getting Iron man as well", Benji queried as they entered a jet. "He has been given a special mission", Steve replied. We'll meet up with him later".

Nick Fury and Gideon Killian poked their head in the door, "this jet will take only an hour or so to arrive at the target coordinates . Good luck to you all and I hope you bring back all of your team mates", Gideon told them.

Xxxxxx

Will found the last bond slipping free and he slowly moved his arm and legs to restore circulation. It was a painful but necessary process. He felt warmth returning to his arms and legs. Around him the trees were emerging out of the darkness, another morning was upon him. Moving slowly he began to crawl through the undergrowth instinctively keeping himself low. His low position to the ground saved him from being spotted by Ivanoff when he crashed out of the bushes in front of him. Will cursed himself for not noticing that the swearing and sounds of a struggle had stopped. His awareness was slipping away from him along with his body's ability to function. Quickly sliding himself into some bushes Will focused on listening to the sounds of Ivanoff's breathing as the man searched for him. "Come on Brandt I know you are here somewhere. Do you really think you can hold out forever. You heard that explosion, well it means my people are coming, so you have no way to escape". Ivanoff actually had no way of knowing what the explosion meant and was desperately hoping that Field's had been responsible and was heading in to pick both of them up. Ivanoff knew he would not be impressed if he arrived to find Brandt on the loose. It could end badly for him. So getting him back was the highest priority.

Will closed his eyes. He was so close to actually surrendering , it was either that or being prepared to die here and now. Some part of him was still fighting on desparately, while the other realist based side that was the analyst was telling him the odds of getting out of this one were slim.

He was about to crawl out of the bushes when he heard the distinct sound of gun fire. He saw Ivanoff come flying off his feet and hit the ground merely inches away. He could hear the other man breathing hard . Will kept still as well ,listening to the sounds around him. He heard a sharp intake of breath and looked over to find Ivanoff staring at him. "Your so called friends actually don't seem that friendly", Will remarked sarcastically. Ivanoff did not reply merely reaching out to grab at him. Will kicked out with his feet managing to land a solid kick to the other man. He heard him yell out loudly. Ivanoff felt his anger rising as pain shot through his body. He 'd had enough of this. So he threw himself on top of Brandt and hit him hard in the face.

Will felt his head hit backward against the ground and everything went hazy , he was still conscious but barely. He could not react when thrashing sounded around him and two armed men came through the bushes in front of him.

Ivanoff looked up straight into the eyes of Mr Fields. '"Here is your prize', he stated.

Fields could see that Ivanoff was not in good shape, though from what he could see of Will Brandt he looked far worse. "Get off him Ivanoff, I need to be able to talk to him", he requested.

Ivanoff slowly rolled off Brandt then struggled to his feet. " I have fulfilled my mission", he stated firmly. He wanted it made clear that he had done everything Field's had asked of him. "So you have Ivanoff, though it took you long enough to get Brandt. Things would have been much simpler if you had obtained in back on the mainland", Fields remarked calmly. "Yes I agree, but I did get him", Ivanoff told him.

"Yes", Field's agreed. Then without warning he pulled a gun out of his waistband and shot Ivanoff through the temple. His gaze never wavered as he watched Ivanoff fall to the ground. "There's your payment", he told the dead man. Looking over he noticed the mercenary watching him. He could not afford for this man to suddenly get the idea he was going to get shot as well. "Ivanoff disappointed me, if you follow my instruction then you will not end up like him", he stated. The mercenary just nodded his understanding.

Disregarding Ivanoff's body almost immediately Fields straddled himself over Brandt. "Come on", he requested, "wake up and talk to me'. Putting the gun back he pulled out his knife and ran it down Brandt's neck gently.

Will had heard every action the man on top of him had carried out and was very, very afraid. He was no longer in any position to resist what was going to happen to him. The knife point drew blood ,that mingled with the dried stuff upon his body. He still could not muster any strength .

He felt the man called Fields draw back the knife and slap him hard across the face but did still did not react. This detached feeling was settling upon him. "Shit, it looks like I am going to have to take him back to the boat after all. Smith you can help me carry him", Field's yelled as he shifted his weight somewhat.

Will could hear the second man come closer and prepared himself for being hauled upright. Instead he heard a sucking type breath that sounded like a gasp of pain coming from the man called Smith.

Daring to look out of half open eyes Will saw Smith fall to the ground with an long arrow like object sticking out of him.

"Shit",swore Field's again. Fields knew who had probably fired that arrow and reached to grab the throat of William Brandt again. He brought his knife up and under the chin of his victim for a second time. Then he called out, "Barton if that is you, I swear if you don't come out here right now I am going to cut his throat".

Although barely conscious Will registered the fact that something had changed. Somehow someone had intervened and saved him from being gutted like a fish. Thus rescue must be close. Searching deep within himself Will took one desparate measure to escape and raised his right hand up to try and take the knife. His grip though was fairly weak and just made Fields laugh. "So still awake a little then. Well sorry William but you are going to have to miss the next bit." Although he was still conscious Fields could see that Brandt was fading fast. He would have to take him back to the boat and patch him up a little before he asked his questions. First though he'd get rid of his other problem. He hit Will's head back against the ground again.

Will felt his senses fade away entirely.

"Come on out Barton", Fields warned again.

Clint and Ethan had split up to follow two trails through the undergrowth. This trail had lead Clint to the unexpected reunion with his brother. But it looked like the enemy had gotten here first and now his fears were coming true. He knew he had no other choice. "Alright", he yelled back, I am coming out".

Field's smiled and looked down at the unconscious man in his grasp. He made sure to hold the knife steady and yell back, "leave the arrows behind". Taking out his gun he held it steady at the spot he knew that Barton would emerge from. Any second now and he was going to have both of them. But he did not need both of them alive.


	15. Chapter 15

Chaptr 15- danger zone

Earlier- over the sea near the Hawaiian islands

Tony Stark did not have the same orders as his colleagues. He was definitely using his special ability, the Iron Man suit. His mission though was simply checking on the status of the search and rescue helicarrier. He was to offer it protection if it became necessary to do so.

"Sir I have a visual on the helicarrier, however it appears to be engaged in defensive maneuvers . The cause for its distress is a missile that is approximately 2 minutes away from impact with the carrier", Jarvis reported. Ah so he'd got to the protection part a lot quicker than he'd anticipated. "On further analysis the missile is equipped with heat seeking technology. It also has an unidentifiable substance coating its tip". "The helicarrier is unable to evade ", Jarvis warned. "There is now only one minute remaining until the missile hits its target". It was time for action. Putting on a burst of speed Tony blasted straight for the missile and grabbed it firmly around the middle. This brought back memories of doing the same to the nuke during the battle of New York . That was not a pleasant memory. Hopefully this time it was going to be a lot easier.

He could clearly see a man looking out of the bridge windows as he grabbed the missile. Perhaps though all the man would see was the flames of his jets firing and that might be a little frightening. Pulling rapidly on the missile he managed to draw it away from the helicarrier. His suited hands were touching the top of the missile and this enabled Jarvis to do an analysis of the weapon. "Sir,that substance coating the tip has hardened its surface astronomically. If it had impacted with the helicarrier the destruction would have been absolute. I would advise caution ,as I cannot determine the result should this missile detonate within close proximity to your presence", JARVIS could sound so calm when he was announcing bad news. Tony suddenly found he had something very dangerous in his grasp. The missile had not detonated yet but could obviously detect the heat within his suit. If he could not find another target then he might be in trouble. "Any heat sources other than the helicarrier", he asked Jarvis. "Negative sir", came the response. Typical thought Tony. He could not let the missile go if it was only going to rehome on the helicarrier. So he would just have to become the target himself. "Alright I am going to let it go, then bank back toward the Island." He thought rapidly ,"if I used my lasers to heat some of the rock on the island would that be enough to draw the missile off target", he asked Jarvis. "It may be enough, but the rock would instantly begin to cool, which would cause the missile to seek another hotter target. You would have to do it at the last second so that too much cooling did not occur", Jarvis told him. Typical ,here he was leaving things for the last second again. "Tell the heicarrier to move out of range, around the far side of the Island and go to stealth mode. That way it will not be detected by the boat", Tony informed Jarvis.

Now it was time to carry out the plan. Tony let go of the missile and blasted away fast, "missile has locked onto the suit", Jarvis told him. Great he thought. "It Is adapting it's speed sir I recommend full power", came the next great news. Boosting up the power Tony zoomed across the sky with a missile close behind. "Find me the largest piece of rock you can", he asked Jarvis. Tony keep his sight focused forward trying hard to ignore the fact a very dangerous projectile was looming even closer. Why did he do these crazy things he wondered idly. "There is a large rock surface roughly two miles away along the shore line. I will charge the lasers to project heat without using their destructive charges", Jarvis reported. Tony changed course and headed for the rock. "Missile increasing speed again", Jarvis warned.

"Come on", Tony told his suit, "you can't let a flying pile of junk outrun you". Of course his suit did not listen but muttering at it always helped settle his mind. "One minute until rock face reached, one minute until missile reaches you", Jarvis reported calmly. "Oh great, just great", Tony muttered again.

He banked sharply just to see what happened. The missile just kept coming. Up ahead he could see the rock face, holding out his arms he fired at it while still flying at full power. "How long until it reaches the correct temperature", he asked Jarvis. "30 seconds", Jarvis reported . Somehow Tony already knew the answer to his next question but he asked it anyway. "How long until the missile reaches my location". "30 seconds", Jarvis announced. "You will not have time to depart the area, I will boost shields at the last minute to protect you from the explosion."

Oh boy this was going to be another one of those moments. He kept on blasting the rock watching as it transformed from grey into a red glowing mass. "Temperature reached, move now", Jarvis warned . Shifting sideways rapidly Tony saw the missile come charging in and plow directly into the rock face. He was moving away rapidly when the blast caught him. It was like getting caught in a strong wind, his suit shook fiercely causing red lights to flash all around him. That he figured, he could handle, it had happened many times before and was only temporary. However when he felt a fiery burning sensation in his lower leg, he decided that not everything was going his way. "The enhanced fragments of that missiles nose cone are penetrating the suit", Jarvis warned him. Tony had thought that nothing could do that, but obviously he was wrong.

Whoever their enemy was had some previously unknown enhanced tech. "Shit", he swore as his arm stung from yet another impact. He could feel the warm sensation of blood upon his arm. It felt like being stung by 100 bees. "Twenty seconds until you are out of the danger zone", Jarvis told him. Tony just hoped the fragments did not hit anything vital in that time. He kept flying as fast as possible his head pounding as the alarms screamed with increasing intensity. "10 seconds", Jarvis stated. He was nearly safe and began to count down in his head, 9,8,7, 6, 5..," oh shit", another projectile whammed through the suit and hit into his collar bone. The pain was intense making him loose altitude and bank around toward the island. "Missile fragments are almost dissipated "Jarvis told him. ""Almost", Tony repeated groggily as he felt 2 more hit him. He could now had a fair amount of blood trailing down his body. He was going to need medical attention but could not risk flying back toward the helicarrier. If the boat detected him or the helicarrier it would fire another missile and that would be a disaster. Hopefully the enemy would have heard the explosion of the missile and thought it had destroyed its target. "I am going to have to land on the island", he told Jarvis, "find me a safe spot quickly". Jarvis's systems were also being affected by the missile fragments with the coating eroding all his software. He just had time to tell Tony Stark a safe landing spot before everything shut down. Tony found himself plowing into the ground and slding along for 3 feet before finally stopping. He lay there encased in a now useless suit with no way of contacting the others. Releasing himself from the suit Tony looked at the bleeding wounds caused by the mini projectiles piercing his suit. All of them looked painful but none were immediately life threatening. They were though testimony to the fact that his suit was not invulnerable. He just hoped that missile was the only thing that was enhanced or else the others might find themselves in a whole lot of trouble. With communications down he had no way of warning them or of getting rescue. He would just have to hide himself somewhere and hope someone came to find him. The right type of someone.

Xxxxxx

On the far side of the Island Mr Fields held a knife in one hand and a gun in the other. He was waiting for Clint Barton to come out of the undergrowth and join him. It had just been a stroke of luck to find William Brandt. He had split his landing party into small groups containing two well armed men each to search through the undergrowth.

Many of the mercenaries had tracking skills which was greatly advantageous when you are searching for 1 man in a jungle. Now he had definitely found out that there was more than one. It was not really a problem because Clint Barton was well outnumbered. He wondered how the archer had come to be here though and warned himself to be on his guard.

Clint kept his hands above his head as he stepped out of the undergrowth. He could see a man pointing a gun steadily at him directly in front of him. That same man had a very large knife under the throat of his brother. He noticed immediately that Will was not moving, most likely he was unconscious. So he could not expect help from his brother. He felt a little thrill as he stared down at Will. After all these years they were finally together. But it was a bitter sweet moment as Will was not able to acknowledge his presence. Keeping himself calm Clint came closer to the man with the gun. He was well aware that if he fired he'd have mere milliseconds to jump out of the way. "Stop", the man in front of him ordered. Clint stood still and focused his gaze firmly on the other man. He was older, most likely in his late fifties with a well muscled upper body that spoke of power. There was a look in his eye that warned Clint to be very cautious.

"So Barton, come for a little family reunion have you", Field's taunted. He nicked the knife blade into Will's neck again just to see what Clint would do. Clint felt like jumping the guy or smacking him one, but he knew that would an excuse to fire upon him. So he had to stand still and look unconcerned. Field's made sure Barton could see the smirk upon his face. Inwardly though he was feeling unsure, with Smith dead he now had no one to help him move Will Brandt to the ship. As much as he really wanted to make Barton suffer shooting him now would not be a good strategic move. He had originally ordered his men to capture Barton so that he could watch what he did to Brandt. After he'd gotten the information he'd wanted from one brother, he'd then have slowly and painfully killed the other. He'd have filmed the whole thing and sent the tape to SHIELD.

That would still be his plan if he could get them both back to the ship. He could call one of the others on his walkie talkie but was conscious of the fact that even that small movement might give Clint Barton the opportunity he needed to attack. Perhaps though he would not be as keen if he had a bullet hole in some non vital place. He moved his arm slightly to target the gun upon Clint Barton's arm.

Clint could tell that being shot was now only seconds away, he had been an assassin long enough to be able to read body language effectively. He prepared himself to act. The man in front of him has at least relaxed the grip on the knife under Will's throat and was no longer in contact with the skin. He was finding it difficult to concentrate on both of them and Clint could use that.

Fields squeezed the trigger on his gun softly at first ,taunting Clint , the other man though was highly trained enough not to show fear. Alright then, he'd see how he felt when he shot him. He was about to fire when his leg was pulled and he found himself losing his balance. With all his concentration focused on Clint Barton he had forgotten about William Brandt. His gun fired harmlessly into the air and at the same time Clint Barton propelled himself toward him. Even though Fields was caught momentarily unawares he reacted quickly. Things had changed again and he needed to make another strategic move.

Rolling quickly out of the way Field's decided it might be time to regroup. He took off running into the tree line knowing that Clint would not leave his injured brother to pursue him.

Breathing heavily Clint lay on the ground for a moment before standing up and turning to face Will.

This was it, the moment he had waited for , the reunion with his twin. Moving over Clint looked down at his injured brother. What was left of his clothing was coated in both dried and flesh blood. His skin tone was extremely pale and he looked like he may be in shock. Clint had no idea how long he had until Will's attacker came back with others. It was probably not long. He would not be able to move Will far on his own. Of course he should not move him at all but he could not afford for the enemy to find Will again.

"Shit", he said loudly and emphatically, where was Ethan Hunt when he needed him. The unmistakable sound of gun fire answered his internal question. Maybe Hunt had problems of his own. "Sorry Will, this is going to hurt", he apologized to his brother as he moved around to his head.

Will was only vaguely aware that there was someone with him. This person had just saved him from death at the hands of the other man, so must be a friend. He tried to move to help the guy out only to find his body had at last given up. "Take it easy, I am going to have to pull you now", came the voice of his rescuer. He must be hallucinating as the voice sounded kind of like his own. A gasp of pain escaped his lips as he was jerked forward as the guy dragged him along the ground. He felt blackness encompass him again.

Clint noticed Will had gone limp again. It did at least make it easier to drag him along. Finding a particularly dense outcropping of bushes Clint slid Will into its depths. Now he would have to take measures to conceal the tracks he had made from anyone who may be searching for him.

While Clint was doing that Ethan Hunt was only a short distance away. He was pinned down behind a tree by four armed men. It was hard to fire the spears at them through the bushes but he had given it a go.

That had at least man the men more wary. Two of them had now changed position and were most likely going to come up behind him . Where was Clint Barton and his arrows when he needed him most. Splitting up had not been the best plan, but it did let them cover more ground. Barton was also the type that expected him to be able to solve his own problems. Ethan dared a look around the solid tree he was hiding behind. A bang answered his appearance, quickly ducking back Ethan had to move again when the bullet screamed right through the tree and thudded into the one behind it. Oh heck they were using armour piercing rounds Ethan determined. Once those other two gun man had encircled him his odds of survival would shrink considerably. Ethan had to think of a plan before that happened. He still had a few spears and threw one towards the nearest gunman just to warn him that he was not an easy target. The man though was probably laughing.

Wham, another bullet shot through the tree. He was lucky it was a fairly solid specimen that was not going to be felled easily. Dammit Ethan swore to himself. He looked for another solid tree in the mass of undergrowth, hoping to move out of the line of fire. There was one about 400 metres away. Should he risk moving though, as being hit even by one armour piercing round would most likely be fatal. He did not have long to decide. Ethan stretched himself a little, deciding that staying put was most likely a definite death sentence and moving gave him a chance. He counted to five in his head, threw another spear out from behind the tree, then ran. He could hear the bullets firing around him, zipping loudly as they hit bark . Pieces of bark threw up to hit him with stinging intensity. Only 100 metres to go, he weaved so that he was not an easy target. Still he knew that the gunmen had shifted their aim and were now shooting in his direction. That other tree still seemed like a long way to go. He heard the whizzing sound of bullets close by his ear and prepared himself for impact. Instead of pain in his body he felt pain in his ear as a loud ringing sound like metal hitting metal came from behind him. "Keep running", a voice said in his ear. With like heavy hail in a thunder storm all around him Ethan made it to the large tree. Now he could finally stop and see who had come to his rescue. "Ethan Hunt, I am Steve Rogers",the man beside him told him , "I was sent as part of a rescue party by the combined efforts Of IMF and SHIELD. Your colleagues Benji, Luther and Jane are with us." A grin came over Ethans face upon hearing that. He had not doubted that the others would try and locate him.

Steve drew a shield up near his body and looked at it critically. "That has never happened before " he remarked when he saw that the bullets had actually made small craters in his shield. "They are using armour piercing rounds", Ethan told him. "Yes but the metal in this shield is the strongest in the world and has so far not been penetrated by anything. Whoever this is, has anticipated the fact may face the Avengers and thought up a means of countering us. That puts him in a whole new class."

Steve had heard the word cake walk mentioned and laughed at Thor's puzzled expression. He had initially agreed with the term but now was not sure this rescue was going to be that easy. Firstly they had to locate all those who needed rescuing and then they had to get off this island. "Is Clint nearby", Steve asked, thinking about part one of the plan first.

Ethan did not like it when super heroes looked fazed, though Rogers had quickly altered his expression. Think of this as a normal mission he told himself. Most of those certainly had their difficult moments and you survived them despite not having powers in the league of Captain America. Though the legendary man looked rather normal right now. Noticing that legend staring at him Ethan focused on answering his question. "Clint and I split up to follow two trails through the undergrowth. He can't be more than few miles away," he told Steve. "How about Clint's twin, did you find him", Steve asked. Ethan felt relieved they had up to date knowledge, because he did not have to go into explanations that would waste time. "We found some of Will's clothing at a nearby beach so assume he is here somewhere. There were also signs that he is being tracked by one of the hostiles IMF were targeting. I personally have seen no sign of Will , but perhaps by now Clint has found him."

Steve took all of that in quickly adding it to the plan developing in his mind. "What about Jane, Benji and Luther where are they", Ethan's question interrupted his thoughts. "Not too far away, we to split up, Jane is with Thor, Benji with Natasha and Bruce Banner and Luther is with me. He is laying a few traps while I draw the enemy fire. You were a lucky bonus to that plan." Ethan just smiled in response.

Steve noticed something significant had happened while he was talking to Ethan, the gunfire had stopped. It was both a relief and a concern. The men could be focusing in on other targets. He had chosen to send Natasha, Benji Dunn and Bruce to the area deemed safest. While he respected Bruce's decision to try to be like a normal agent he was not going to test his resolve by deliberately putting him into the line of fire. Perhaps though trouble might actually go to them. "We need to shift our position a few miles that way", he told Ethan indicating a different direction to the one where Ethan had left Clint.

"Clint is the other way, by himself", Ethan told Steve. Steve now had to make a decision, move toward Natasha's location because he was worried about a Hulk incident or go and rescue the man that had sparked this search. That should be an easy decision but it wasn't. Steve knew which decision to make though. "Alright we'll meet up with Luther then go get Clint and then take them all to the others position". He just hoped that nothing caused Bruce Banner to get very angry in the mean time.

Natasha had known exactly why they had the easiest area to search, though she chose to say nothing to the two men behind her. Benji Dunn and Bruce had hit it off and had spouted some more language she did not understand. He had told her that originally he worked on the technical side of IMF before becoming a regular agent. Not another one, was the thought that crossed her mind, she now had two 'baby' agents under her care.

She stopped worrying about one of them when gunfire sounded nearby and he immediately went into defensive mode. Benji Dunn was a well trained agent. Bruce though looked a little worried. He gripped the gun tightly, holding it in the manner she had suggested, she could see it shaking from here though. A quick evaluating look determined that although afraid Bruce was controlling his anger. She was not going to take stupid risks that might change that, while the Hulk was definitely on their side he was still a dangerous force. "Take cover", Natasha ordered.

Bruce immediately sought shelter behind tree with Natasha and Benji on his left and right flank. He looked over at Natasha and found himself mirroring her actions, weave out fire, then back into the safety of the tree. They should be able to hit some targets this way he thought. But then this bullet came screaming through the tree and grazed passed his arm. Looking over he saw a thin line of red blood trickling down. It was not a serious injury but it did make him feel very angry. He tried to push the feeling down. Nastaha was looking at him in a concerned way. "Are you alright", she called out. Bruce knew that a lie would not serve any purpose, "no, Natasha doing this was a mistake, I don't think I can contain the hulk. I just want to go out there and rip those guys heads off". Natasha sighed inwardly, the enemy had armour piercing rounds which gave them the upper hand. They needed something to shift the balance and unfortunately it looked like a raging hulk was going to be their weapon.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16- togetherness

The plane was only a means of transport and would depart as soon as it was over the island. Inside Thor was frowning at the small sack that was being placed upon his back. He did not think it possessed the power the others claimed, to fly him safely to the ground. There was not much time to think about it though because the signal came and the others were jumping. Oh well, he was not going to die if this thing did not work properly. So he hurled himself out.

"Parachuting, it is indeed a unique experience", Thor remarked as he landed a few minutes later. "You've never done it before", Jane asked him as he disconnected her own parachute. Thor's answering smile made her feel week at the knees again, "I don't need to", he replied, "but since I am trying to be ordinary I had to do the same thing as you".

Soon they were moving through the undergrowth steadily with Thor simply breaking off pieces of trees that were in his path. Since one of them was quite sizeable Jane guessed his powers gave him a type of super strength. He looked out of place holding a gun though, like he could simply use his fists and cause significant damage. Jane coloured when she realized she had been staring at his muscled body for too long. Luckily Thor did not notice as he seemed to be listening intently. When Jane caught the sound of gun fire drifting their way she understood his distraction. "It may be some of the others in trouble", she told him. "Indeed, we should render aid", he replied. Moving rapidly toward the gunfire they soon sighted several armed men firing at something within the undergrowth. "This is roughly where Bruce , Benji and Natasha are located", Jane remarked. Thor did not need to know more than that. He simply aimed the weapon in his hand and fired at the nearest man. When the bullet screamed passed without hitting its target, he looked surprised. 'This is harder than it seems", he whispered to Jane. Jane was also feeling surprised that a superhero was not a good shot. Still he had at last drawn the hostile's fire away from its intended target. "You have to anticipate movement and all sorts of factors when you fire", Jane told him. She had already managed to hit one of the hostiles in the leg. When a bullet scream passed and totally flattened a small tree she felt a moment of fear rise up. These guys were not playing fair. Not that they had too of course.

Now that the bullets were no longer continually screaming his way Bruce felt calmer, they could contain this without him hulking out. Natasha was still firing and he mirrored her actions. He found that his anger was contained just below the surface and shooting did not really help to suppress his feelings totally. It just seemed a little unsatisfying.

Thor felt the same ."This is getting tiresome", he complained as the shooting went on without the enemy numbers being reduced significantly. "Just keep firing", Jane told him firmly. "We are supposed to be rescuing our friends not being stuck in a fire fight",Thor reminded her. "Well what do you usually do", Jane asked. For an answer Thor smiled."I use my abilities and a very big hammer", he told her. "But it is in a secured location and will not respond to my call". "So your powers are limited to using a weapon only", Jane hinted.

Thor thought that was a very good question. Did his powers really start and finish with his weapon. Maybe this was the opportunity to show that he could do many things without the hammer. He closed his fist on the puny weapon he held and crushed it into dust. "My actions will affect our friends as well so I will warn them using our pre arranged signal", Thor told her. Then he whistled, a high pitched note that sounded exactly like one of the birds native to Hawaii. Now that was clever Jane thought. All the other birds were quiet because of the gunfire but it would still not seem out of place for one to sing now, especially when the mimic sounded exactly like the real thing.

"Now hold tightly to the tree", Thor instructed Jane. Jane wrapped her arms around the tree and clasped her hands together. Thor leapt up and then down rapidly hitting the ground with his fist . It would not be as effective as using the hammer but would have to do.

A shock wave from his punch rolled along the ground like a mini earthquake. It made the enemy feel unsteady on their feet , reeling about they stopped firing and dropped their weapons as they fought to regain their balance. The effect would only last seconds but it was all the time Natasha, Benji and Bruce needed. They raced out to claim the dropped weapons and aimed them at the enemy group.

The 8 mercenaries decided the odds were now against them and held their hands up over their heads. Thor and Jane raced in to support the trio. Thor broke off pieces of jungle vines and used them to secure the men's arms and legs. Jane observed the way he tied the knots and thought that the men would take years to try and free themselves. He also stuffed a lot of leaves in their mouths and tied them firmly so they could not shout out to any of their colleagues. Then he hit each of them once solidly, just in case. The punch looked like it hurt and would most likely render them all unconscious for hours.

Benji and Jane were glad Thor was a friendly alien. "If we hide them in the undergrowth they will not be easily spotted. We will have to recall the plane to transport them at a later stage", the god told them. "Good, well that is at least some of them dealt with. Now we just have to worry about how many more there are and where they are", Natasha reminded them.

Not too far away Mr Fields had called for the rest of the mercenaries to rendezvous at his location. He had basically sacrificed a portion of his team to try and get the Avengers all in one location. Once he had known Hawkeye was here it seemed likely the others would follow. He knew that even his enhanced bullets would not contain them forever and had planned accordingly. His plan was delay and not necessarily defeat, all he wanted was long enough to get Brandt back to the ship. Maybe as a bonus he could eliminate Hawkeye as well. He was sure the archer would still be near Will Brandt's location. His sentimentality would be his downfall. Alone he would not be able to withstand what he was going to use against him. Of course if he was not alone, well, maybe the Avengers were going to find they were not as invincible as they thought. Smiling Field's gave his final orders.

Clint had climbed up a tree, instinctively choosing to find higher ground to give him a better line of sight. Of course there was a lot of ground cover for any approaching enemies to use, but he could still detect the tiny movements the tree made as the men made their approach. He was lucky in that the there was no wind at the moment, making it easier to determine the cause of the movement. Below him was the small area of bush where in a crevice in the ground he had left Will. He would defend his brother until his last breath if necessary.

As he watched he noticed a small clump of bushes moving just a few miles away, of course the movement could be caused by Ethan trying to find him. But as he watched he noted the movement was spread out indicating more than one person. Getting out one of the stick arrows from his make shift quill he loaded his handmade bow. Drawing back the arrow made him gasp with pain. He had forgotten about the injuries he had received when he had crashed the motorbike. The pain was a sharp reminder that perhaps he had hurt himself more seriously than he had realised. Of course the injuries would have been compounded when he had jumped off the cliff. Without medical attention his condition had worsened. There was now a strong probably that he was going to pass out some time in the not to distant future. That would compromise everything. So he pushed away the pain determined to keep himself focused and on his feet for as long as possible.

He found himself panting a little as he kept his gaze firmly focused upon the movement. Judging in his head how far away the enemy were he pulled back the vine made string on his bow and let the arrow fly.

Ethan , Luther and Steve were making their way steadily toward Clint's last location when suddenly Steve raised his shield in front of them. A dull thud followed soon after and Ethan caught a brief glimpse of the sharpened arrow that the shield had just deflected. "Shit Clint", Steve muttered. Indeed, Ethan agreed because he was the one who would now have had an arrow sticking into him. Steve pursed his lips and gave out a bird call. "Hawkeye should recognise that and stop firing", he told them.

Clint stopped in the act of loosing another arrow, that call sounded familiar. He started to smile as a small group of three people became visible. Quickly returning to ground level, he whistled a tune to let them know his location.

Steve Rogers smiled warmly as a moved in to greet Clint. His colleague looked battered and unnaturally pale but there was a familiar look of determination. Ethan and Luther hung back a little to give time for Rogers to greet his friend. They were feeling a little disappointed that Will was not with the archer. Ethan noted that Clint looked paler than when he had left him. He supposed though that he too was not in the best condition. His entire body ached , the lingering effects of jumping into the sea, then being out in the elements for an extended period.

Clint moved over to greet him, shaking his hand firmly. Ethan own welcoming smile came easily, Clint had become a friend as well as a colleague. There was something in the depths of those blue eyes that made Ethan's smile broaden. Clint's smile matched his own. Luther could not really understand why these two were just standing there grinning at each other. It was like there was some hidden message there that they both understood. Clint decided to make that message understood, "I found Will , come and we'll go and help him". Now Luther was smiling as well.

Moving forward Clint found a groan escaping from his lips. Steve immediately put his arms around him and supported his weight. He thought Clint looked like he was injured. Of course the stubborn archer would never admit anything pushing him off with an almost angry, 'get off, I am fine". Steve looked him over skeptically silently evaluating how serious his condition was, "you don't look fine", he told Clint firmly. Surprisingly Clint nodded and told him , "okay I am not fine, but I am not going to ruin my moment with Will by falling on my face now". The anger was back in his voice, a sign that he was disgusted at himself for being weak at this vital time. That anger would keep him on his feet Steve decided. So he backed off but kept Clint in his line of sight .

They walked a short distance then stopped. Clint found himself panting again, "Will is there in that undergrowth", he hissed out. "I had to drag him there to get him away from this man who was trying to hurt him. He is not conscious."

Ethan and Luther left Steve to assess Clint while they moved to the undergrowth.

Luther searched one area while he did another. He walked carefully ,testing each area with his foot, not wanting to step on Will. He noted that Steve Rogers had made Clint sit down and was now keeping watch. Nobody wanted the enemy to come up upon them now. His momentary distraction had an effect he did not anticipate. Ethan found himself suddenly falling forward into the bushes as his foot was grabbed . He landed right beside someone very familiar who looked at him out of pain filled blue eyes.

"Ethan", Wills voice was weak but his smile was genuine.

Will had become conscious a short while ago. He found he still could not move alot, certainly not enough to move from the undergrowth. Obviously his rescuer had dragged him here to protect him from that other man. It was probable that his rescuer was most likely IMF and was part of a new team sent to rescue him. Seeing Ethan here just cemented that fact into his mind.

Looking over his colleague Ethan made the assessment that he would not be walking out of here, they would have to carry him. "Ethan where is the rest of your team", Will whispered. His voice was not able to go too loud as his throat was dry. "Right here, in fact one of them is anxious to see you", Ethan told him. This reunion was not his moment ,belonging to Clint. He beckoned the archer over, telling him, "he's conscious". As Clint approached Ethan moved away.

Clint found himself feeling apprehensive now that the moment was here. Will was not in the best shape and did not need to have his body put under the stress the shock of seeing him would create. But he was desperately afraid that Will was not going to make it off this island alive so had to have this moment with him. Crouching down Clint took Ethan's place at Will's side. His brother's eyes were closed again, but fluttered as he slipped his hands into Will's. "Who's that", Will asked groggily. "Open your eyes and see", Clint told him . He kept hold of Will's hand firmly and watched his face as the eyes opened and looked at him.

Will was just staring like he could not quite believe what he was seeing. "I know it is probably strange to see someone who looks like you bending over you. You are not seeing things I am real", Clint assured him gently. Will's hand was still in his own . His lips opened and Clint bent down to hear what he had to say.

Steve, Luther and Ethan were trying not to intrude on the moment as well as wanting to be nosy and see Will's reaction. Clint had leaned closer they noted as he tried to hear what Will was saying. They however could not hear anything."Well I suppose we cannot expect him to jump up and embrace his brother", Steve remarked. He could not see what had happened because Clint's back was in his line of sight. Still it appeared that Will was too ill to register much about the reunion. Ethan too thought the moment was rather an anticlimax and responded, " Will looks in serious shape, the sooner we get him medical help the better". 'The three of you need medical attention", Steve remarked with a speculative look at Ethan.

Ethan was going to reply when he saw Steve was no longer focused upon him. He was looking over at Hawkeye who was giving him an all too familiar signal. "It looks like we have company coming", Steve remarked. "We need something a lot solider than those trees to protect ourselves". "There is some rocky outcroppings nearby", Clint remarked. "You can use that while I scale that tree again. They cannot get a clear line of sight upon me through the undergrowth, but I will be able to see them well enough." He stood up to face them. Below him he could feel Will's hand upon his ankle.

Steve looked him over solemnly. Clint could see the concern in his eyes. "Yeah I know I look like I am going to pass out, but we need to do this together. We can't have more than one of us in a vulnerable position". He nodded toward Will. They would have to protect Will during the firefight which might inadvertently put one of them in danger.

"Leave him all covered up in that crevice, he's well protected down there". You have done a good job of covering up the drag marks, the enemy won't find him easily", Ethan suggested. "Yeah and I'll watch out for him", Clint told them firmly.

He bent down over Will again and gently removed his fingers from his ankle, "I am going to leave you now Will and go up there", he indicated the tree. Will reached up to clasp his hand tighter than he had believed he was capable of. He was Clint noted only using his left hand, with no movement from his right. " Taking note of his gaze at his other hand Will admitted, " I can't move my right arm at all ". His voice held a type of fear that struck straight to Clint's heart. It told him Will had thought he was going to die. He found a deeper resolve settling upon him that gave him feelings of powerfulness. He told Will firmly, "I will watch out for you just like I did when we were boys". Will nodded and closed his eyes again. He looked like he barely knew what was going on around them. Clint had to hope he could hold on a little bit longer.

Ignoring the ache that was settling around his chest, Clint scaled the tree and waited. He used some of the vines around him to tie himself loosly into the tree. It would give him more security in case those piercing rounds eliminated a couple of the branches.

Below him Steve used his walkie talkie to send the others a prearranged signal. This would not be in words, in case their frequency was monitored by the enemy. He settled his finger on the button and pushed it down.

Natasha, Bruce ,Benji and even Thor almost jumped when a scratching sound came out of the walkie talkie at Natasha's side. She braced herself to receive the information that would follow. There would be a certain number of blips that indicated the situation. In the worst case scenario there would be only three, indicating that Steve had not found the others alive. "One, two, three", Benji counted them out loud his voice wavering slightly. This also concerned Ethan's survival and he was now feeling an acute anxiety. "Four", he continued and he smiled as anxiety faded away. Four meant, Ethan and Clint were alive. "Five", Bruce added as one more blip sounded. 'They found Will", Benji felt like laughing he was so relieved. "It's not over yet", Natasha reminded them. We do not know how many more mercenaries they have".

"Or what else", Bruce stated solemnly. He had a good point Natasha thought. "Let's just be prepared for the unexpected", she remarked.

They fanned out slightly and with weapons at the ready moved toward the others location.

Fields had already found out that not only was Clint Barton not alone, he and the others had already found William Brandt. That meant changing to plan B.

"Fan out and hit them with your enhanced weapons", he told his mercenaries," try to maneuver them there in a small clump, then I'll do the rest".

An arrow flew down from up high and interrupted his speech by spearing one of his team right through the middle of his body. "You two, make it your priority to take care of Barton, he'll be up in the trees somewhere", he added sourly.

Spreading themselves out the mercenaries moved forward encircling the small group while firing their piercing rounds. Field hung back, out of the firing line waiting.

Pieces of rock were shooting up around team Avengers as the projectiles hit into it and broke pieces off. Cap's shield was used a protection from the rock missiles.

All of them kept up the firing onslaught knowing that they would not run out of ammunition for a long time. It felt though that no one was really getting the upper hand. The mercenaries were taking cover when they fired and were adept enough not to let any parts of their body become targets. Steve determined that they might be stalling for time, hoping more troops would join them. Well they were not alone in that tactic.

When he saw firing come at the enemy from another direction he smiled knowing that their numbers had just been boosted. "Thor and the others are here", he told Ethan.

Mr Fields has also noted that fact. He had lost contact with his other team which did not bode well. Even though he had confidence in his men's abilities he knew that if Banner transformed they would most likely decide that his money was not worth their lives. So he had to act. Slipping his hand into his pocket he pushed the button on a small remote control.

Out a sea a missile came firing out of the fishing boats cargo hold.

It was detected by the helicarrier which was idling on the far side of the island. 'Sir another missile has just been fired. It is however not directed at us", the crewman stated.

Captain Grey sighed, "these guys will never learn that they face the might of the Avengers. I am sure the Hulk can deal with that missile." He was not really worried about that outcome.

Hawkeye saw the missile approaching when it was about 5 minutes from impact and broke radio silence to warn the others.

"Does this man not care for his own soldiers" ,Steve growled," they too will get caught in the blast".

"Yeah well he did not strike me as the type who cared. He had a very big knife held against Will's throat not that long ago.",Clint replied over the radio. He really wanted a minute alone with the guy so he could settle things once and for all.

"I think this qualifies as a hulk moment", Steve told Bruce. He really did not care if the mercenaries overheard that order, it might give them something to think about.

"Yeah Fury is not here to see what happens", Thor added. Bruce felt puzzled when he felt relief fill him. It was like transforming would dissipate all the tension he felt building up inside him. Trying to constantly push that tension down was always a strain. Nobody really knew how difficult it was at times to not hulk out. It had become part of who he was he realized and if he denied it then he was denying himself. Being normal may be nothing more than a dream unless a permanent cure was found.

Thinking no more about it, he swiftly transformed watching as the others back away.

The missile flew in to their location and he caught it between his giant green hands. Then he crushed it solidly between them hoping to grind it to dust. The force made the missile explode, though it was a more muted detonation that buffeted him around like a small wind . Around him no one was shooting, even the enemy were transfixed by his actions. Perhaps some part of them realised that he had just saved their lives. The terror would follow soon after though. The hulk saw smoke wafting up from what was left of the missile and grinned, that was one puny little weapon. Seconds later he felt the smoke constrict his throat painfully. It had now filled his lungs and why that would not usually be a problem this was not normal smoke. He felt sleepiness pull at him in increasing intensity. His feet wobbled and wavered and he came dangerously close to stepping on his colleagues. Then the ground rushed up to meet him.

Hulk fell right next to the rest of the team ,who could do nothing to escape the rumble as his bulk hit the ground, the smoke had rendered the majority of them unconscious in seconds. Thor had sucked in only a small portion of the smoke. It made him feel strange, like he had consumed too much of the strongest alcoholic substance on the planet. He found himself running through the trees with no idea of what he was actually doing or why. His fast pace quickly moved him away from the others.

Mr Fields smiled within his gas mask. 'Take that", he laughed. Now that was the easiest take down he had for a long time. Now all he had to do was find Will Brandt. He had kept one mercenary with him to help carry the agent. Soon he would have the information he needed and his mission could finally end.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17- arrows rule the world

Fields sent his remaining conscious mercenary to search one area for Brandt while he looked in another. Around him lay his own men as well as the Avengers team. Of course this was an opportunity for him to slip his knife into some of them. He held off though, defeating them had been enough for now. Ultimately he wanted SHIELD to have to deal with the Avengers themselves, to either lock them away in a secure location or have them terminated. It would be a crushing blow to the agencies moral as well as sending a strong message to those who may just think about starting a similar program themselves.

Using a stick Fields hit the ground in front of him testing for solidity. If Brandt was not visible then they must have concealed him somewhere. He worked quickly conscious of the fact the gas may wear off for the super heros quickly than it would for the others. "Come on, it can't be that hard", he mumbled when after 5 minutes he still had not located Brandt. He tapped his walkie talkie, "anything', he asked. "No sir", came back the reply.

Tap, tap,tap, Fields found his excitement rising when his stick went down into a hole. He bent down and searched the area with his hands,, moving them under the leaves and branches. When he felt a warm leg under his hand he smiled. He pulled up his walkie talkie again, "I found him, meet me at my location stat", he requested. "Yes sir",he heard his man acknowledge.

Now Fields worked a little slower removing each stick and branch carefully. He was savouring this moment of victory. Below him he could see Brandt's stained trousers and his motionless arms. He slid his hand over the skin noting that it was warm. That was good as warmth indicated life, it would be very frustrating if Brandt had been dead.

Lifting the last of the branches Fields finally saw Brandt's face . That face was very pale , eyes all sunken and the skin dry and tense, a sign of dehydration, he knew. He slapped Brandt's face hard and watched the closed eyes for any reaction, there was none. Hearing soft footfalls behind him Fields said, "you grab his legs and I'll take the head". Hearing no immediate response he turned and froze with his mouth gaping in surprise as he saw Clint Barton standing there with a stick arrow pointing at his face."That would be a no sir", Clint said in a voice that sounded exactly like his mercenary. Damn the man, he had planned this so well. If he had revealed himself before now then Fields would have had the opportunity to take a hostage to use against him. Fields realized he should have checked to see whether all the Avengers were present. He had just thought that probably Clint Barton's body was under the trees somewhere. That had been a mistake that he could not correct.

Now the only weapon he had was time. If he stalled Barton long enough he could use the chaos created by two opposing parties awakening to regain the upper hand. Unfortunately Barton probably knew that as well. "So how'd you escape the gas", he asked anyway. He felt a burning passion to at least know the answer to that question. "I had a few seconds longer than the others and covered my mouth and nose with a large leaf. Holding my breath as well also helped", Clint replied calmly.

Fields just stared at him unafraid . "So what now Barton, you put an arrow in me and hope to end this, well it won't, I don't work alone", he told Clint.

Clint was well aware that he was alone and the only one that stood in the path of something terrible happening to the others. They lay scattered around the ground creating a death like scene that could easily become a reality. In front of him that bastard was smirking again.

He would have the memory burned into his brain for a long time of the hulk crushing the missile then falling minutes later. Only the vines had saved him from falling from the tree in that moment. Seeing something white creeping up upon him like death, he had held his breath then worked desparately to retrieve a leaf big enough to use like a mask. That done he'd had to leap from one branch to another above ground as silently as he could hoping to take those below him unawares. He'd taken out the remaining mercenary first silently shooting the arrow through his chest.

That had exhausted him to the point of almost imminent collapse, though he dared not show that now.

Just shoot him, his internal voice told him firmly. But what if he was telling the truth and he did not work alone. Will would still be in mortal danger and they would not know who was behind it all.

So he was going to have to take this man in to SHIELD . "Turn around', he told him.

Fields knew this was the moment he had to act. Barton had not gone for the kill shot and instead was going to try and take him captive. In any fight he knew he would have the upper hand as despite his best efforts not to hide his pain Fields could tell that Barton was almost at the point of collapse. Perfect. He turned around slowly intending to swivel back quickly and disarm Barton.

Around him he heard some groans indicating that the gas was wearing off. He'd still have a short time in which to leave the area before full consciousness returned.

He smiled widely knowing Barton could not see his face. This will be the second easiest take down in his history he thought.

Clint watched him closely knowing that he was going to try something. He hoped he had the strength left to act.

Counting to three in his mind Fields swiveled. What happened next he did not really know. All he felt was pain in his head and then he was falling to the ground.

Clint knew exactly what had happened and smiled broadly. He quickly used some vines he'd stuffed into his pocket to secure the man on the ground.

He was about to move and quickly secure the others when Thor came running toward him. The god stopped, staring at all the men lying around him and the fact that Barton was alone, a bow and arrow in his hand. He was actually very impressed. "See big guy sometimes you don't need super powers", Clint told him. That sentence was then ruined by the fact that he too fell to the ground as the pain he was feeling caught up with him.

Seeing he was at least still conscious Thor quickly and efficiently went from mercenary to mercenary tying them up . Once he had done that he moved over to Clint. "I think it is time to get out of here", Clint told him. Thor nodded, "you can tell me the story of your mighty victory later", he stated. He really wanted to hear that story. He had never said it but sometimes he did feel like Clint had the puniest weapons and skills out of all of the team. How could anyone possibly save the world with a bow and arrow. Looking around him though he came to realize that Clint really could hold his own quite well.

"Make sure you keep watch over that one", Clint indicated the man lying not far from his feet. "I will", Thor responded firmly.

Fields lay with his face in the ground still trying to figure what had happened in that last second. When he lifted his head slightly he suddenly understood and found himself burning with shame as he realized he had once again underestimated the potential of his victims. It was not a mistake he would make again. Escaping was now his top priority, the boat was still out there and it still had one missile left.

With a groan loud groan Steve Rogers quickly scrambled to his feet and surveyed the situation. Seeing all the mercenaries tied up around them he came to the analysis that everything was under control. Thor approached him, his hair all messed up and his eyes somewhat wild. "We were all under the influence of some type of gas", Thor explained. "It even made me feel out of control and for a moment I lost my mind". He remembered wildly bashing all the trees in his path ,angry at them for some reason he could not explain. He had gone for miles in this manner until the effect had worn off and clarity had returned. He had then made his way quickly back to the others. "How did we win then", Steve asked puzzled. He vaguely recalled seeing the hulk falling toward him. Looking over he saw Bruce was sitting up rubbing his head and looking stunned. It seemed that Hulk had not won this one for them.

"That was down to our man with the arrows", Thor nodded over to Clint who was now lying on the ground. "Robin Hood saves the day again, Benji Dunn muttered as he came to join them. Steve knew exactly who Robin Hood was and agreed with Dunns assessment.

"Okay now we have to call for extraction. I think it is time to notify our trump card",Steve told them.

They knew the could not be extracted until that fishing boat was taken out of the picture as it was possible it still posed a danger. The plane they had arrived on had not returned to base , just flying out of range and waiting for a signal. It would not take out the boat until things on the island were in the control of the Avengers team. That way the enemy would not be aware of its presence until it was already too late.

Hearing Rogers organizing an air strike Mr Fields realized he had indeed lost this round. But his battle was not over yet. If he waited long enough an opportunity would come for him to escape.

"We are going to have to transport those enemies off in groups", Steve remarked. "I will stay and make sure that happens." "Make sure that one goes first", Clint requested loudly from his position on the ground ,nodding over to the man he had captured.

"Don't worry Clint , I think we can take care of things from here. You just concentrate on getting better. Then you can have a proper reunion with your brother", Steve responded with a warm smile.

Clint watched as Thor carefully lifted Will out of the crevice and then placed him on the ground again. Steve quickly contacted the helicarrier.

Things happened rapidly after that. The jet boomed over their location briefly before heading out to sea. Moments later there came the sound of an explosion. When the jet streaked back over them doing a victory loop the loop they all smiled in relief. At least this part of the mission seemed to be going well. Cap stayed by the side of the man that had been behind al of this. He noted he was now more alert and looked around him with a speculative gaze. Soon he would be transported to a secure SHIELD location where the questioning process would begin.

The medical team on board the helicarrier moved in not long afterward. Clint had moved over to Will's slide and held his hand firmly. He held on when the medical team tried to pull them apart. Looking over the most seriously injured member of the team Captain Grey decided not to put further stress upon him. "Just leave them like that, carry them side by side", he ordered.

It felt surreal to Clint, like his memory of the surgery. His eyes and hand were focused on Will .

The majority of the team walked behind the stretchers with Ethan stubbornly refusing to be transported in that manner. "You will be examined along with the others", Captain Grey told him, "we want to make sure there are no toxins in your body from exposure to the elements. You may feel fine but those toxins could be building up and in a few hours you could find yourself in a serious situation".

Ethan only had the energy to nod. He would not fight any examination.

The helicarrier had landed upon the water and had its back doors down like a ramp waiting to receive them. There was also a pair of familiar eyes. Tony Stark already lay on a bed in one of the examination alcoves. The Helicarrier had rescued him from the opposite side of the island. His treatment had already taken place with an IV in place and stitches in the most serious of his cuts. He would need antibiotics and a short period of recuperation before returning to active status

As for the others ,Captain Grey was used to instantly analyzing the condition of his patients and placing them in the helicarrier according to seriousness. Will and Clint would go at the back where sophisticated machinery awaited to assist him in their treatment. Ethan Hunt would be in an alcove at the side where less serious patients were treated. The others could all sit up near the front.

Will and he were swiftly transported aboard. Clint braced himself for the intense medical intervention that would follow. Indeed as soon as his stretcher was secured in place the medical staff were stripping off his clothing and attaching monitors . Beside him Will was receiving the same treatment. He did not need to ask how Will was as the monitors all screamed the moment they were attached. Sitting up he tried to get a better look at what was happening to his brother. The medic treating him pushed him back down firmly telling him, "Agent Barton, I will sedate you if necessary. Agent Brandt is in good hands and we are doing all we can for him".

Clint forced himself to relax as the medic swiftly inserted an IV line. That process seemed a lot harder on Will. "He's dehydrated so his veins are all shrunken, just go for his neck", he heard Captain Grey state.

Staring up at the roof above him Clint had another moment of dejavu and forced it down. He did not want unpleasant memories intruding. He closed his eyes as the glare of the lighting above began to give him an aching head. Even though he had not intended it to happen once his eyes were closed he drifted off into an exhausted sleep.

Back at the SHIELD base Fury and Secretary Killian were receiving the news of the recovery. "It's good they found William Brandt also", Fury remarked.

"His condition is listed as serious and unstable", Gideon reminded Fury, "I doubt he'll be up to questioning for awhile. "Yeah well we may not get much out of the the guy they captured, he is probably responsible for several murders as well as goodness knows what else. It is in his best interests to keep quiet and I have a feeling our toughest measures may prove fruitless", Fury stated. Gideon did not like hearing that, though he of course agreed. This was no lightweight criminal they were dealing with.

As if he could feel the thoughts about him Mr Fields was calm and controlled as Captain America escorted him onto the plane. It had winched them both up into its cargo area. As he looked around Steve decided he was happy with the level of security provided. The whole back of the plane was now like a cage, with no access to the pilot or any part of the plane. That pilot was well known to him, a SHIELD operative for over 10 years. He was a tough no nonsense man and Steve approved heartily of the choice. This type of plane only had room for a pilot and riding in the back with the prisoner was not part of the security measures. Since he had shown some technologies unknown to SHIELD it was preferable that nobody was near him. That applied to Captain America as well. "I'll see you back at base", Pilot Tim Boson told Steve. "Indeed", Steve shook his hand then departed. He would go to SHIELD HQ on another helicarrier with the less dangerous prisoners.

Back on the medical carrier Captain Grey was scanning Will Brandt's arm, "it definitely looks like something is in there. Whatever it is has caused a high grade infection, that has begun in the arm and is now spreading throughout his body". He frowned, "the infection has taken hold aggressively and is far more advanced than I would expect after a couple of days. I'll start him on IV antibiotics. Then I'll notify base to prep the theatre, only removal of the object will combat further infection." Captain Grey knew that surgery was risky as Brandt's condition was unstable. Delay though would just increase the danger to his long term survival as well as increasing the possibility he would lose his arm.

Looking over he noted that Clint Barton was now unconscious . His hand still rested lightly in that of Will Brandt. Moving over Grey tried to remove Clint's hand . He was stunned when Will Brandt's hand tightened quickly. The man was barely conscious so it seemed like more of a reflex action. He beckoned over Ethan, "perhaps hearing a familiar voice may help him feel more secure. Can you tell him he's safe and get him to release his hand from Barton's".

Ethan placed his hand on Will's arm and stroked softly hoping his friend could feel the contact. "Will its Ethan, you are safe with us. You need to let Clint's hand go now",he said. There was no reaction. Captain Grey knew that unless they were planning on taking Clint into surgery they would have to break the hand hold at some stage. He would start by giving Will a pre operative sedative and see what effect that had.

It did not seem to have any. Will's hand was still around Clint's when the helicarrier landed back at SHIELDS Hawaiian base.

Knowing that he was most likely going to have to do things the hard way Captain Grey rolled both stretcher beds down the exit ramp.

He noticed that Director Fury was waiting with another man. "We have a problem sir", he told his boss, "Agent Brandt will not release his hand from Bartons. We are going to have to take him into emergency surgery and Barton can't come. I don't want to cause him further stress but it looks like I am going to have to force them apart. Brandt is barely conscious but he's determined not to let go."

Fury did not really think he could help. But Gideon Killian did. He moved up beside Will's bed and placed one hand over the top of Wills . "Let him go now Brandt, that's an order", he said firmly.

Captain Grey did not think that would work and was surprised when Will's hand released. "He was military once Captain, so got used to following orders", Gideon explained.

Ah now that did make sense. Grey could now concentrate fully on his most seriously injured patient. "We are taking this one to theatre. Clint is heading for exam room 1 and Hunt to room 5." We will have follow up reports available soon", he told them.

Fury and Killian could only watch as both Clint and Will were wheeled away. Fury's eyes widened when Tony Stark walked down the ramp of the helicarrier with a medics arm firmly upon his own. He noticed several dressings covering the billionaire. "What happened to you", he demanded. "Our enemy had some advanced substance coating the missile and fragments penetrated my suit. They also used it on the bullets they fired at the others". Tony looked and sounded angry. "If you are not needing me immediately I'll finish off with medical then get to work on analyzing that substance".

Fury found himself feeling off balance and had to quickly regain his poker face. This substance sounded like a definite threat to The Avengers and he had not even heard a whisper about its existence. "Agreed", he simply said. Looking at the others as they came down the ramp, he told them," I am going to check the staus of the plane carrying our hostile". " All of you ,briefing room 5 minutes, I'll bring coffee". He watched as the group headed off quickly.

Killian had stood at his side the whole time taking quiet note of everything said and done. He began to feel a little out of control. It was almost like his agents were now working for SHIELD. Fury was striding off leaving him standing in the hangar bay. Noticing he was not following the director of SHIELD turned. "This is a combined operation and I imagine you will have questions of your own to ask", Fury told him. Gideon blew out a tension filled breath and forced himself to relax. An argument over who was in command would only cause unnecessary conflict and ultimately delay them from gaining information on the actual enemy.

He followed Fury over to a large console and watched as he brought up a radar image. Noticing a frown appearing on the SHIELD directors face he inched closer. " I cannot find the plane on the radar", Fury told him. Now that did not sound good. Fury kept searching, "that plane has high tech installed with a system locked onto this base. It would not be a simple task to deactivate the system and take the plane off course."The pilot does not know how to do it." He could feel heat rising in his face as he realized that somehow something had happened to that plane. It was an embarrassing feeling for a man who thought he was in charge of the most powerful agency in the world to feel out of control. Noting Gideon Killian staring at him he swallowed his pride and admitted, 'it looks like we lost the plane ."

"You mean you lost the hostile", Killian corrected severly. "Now how did that happen director', IMFs secretary asked seriously. His whole body language had changed in that instance Fury recognised, he now looked almost menancing and his tone was boardline accusatory .It did not help that Fury had to tell him the truth about the answer to that question ,which was just as embarrassing. 'Honestly I have no idea".

"So that means that man is out there again ready to use more enhanced tech against you and to try and abduct one of my agents", Gideon stormed. His anger was pulsing to the surface and he was unaware that around them SHIELD personal were staring. "Yes ", Fury replied firmly. "Any answers will now have to come from your Agent Brandt." He had over emphasized the word your a little too much he realized. But some part of him did wonder why a dangerous criminal was targeting the IMF agent. Did will Brandt have something to hide. He hoped not for Clint's sake. But this reunion was going down a darker path and he could not say that it was going to have a happy ending.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18- Nightmares during the day

52 hours later

Clint Barton heard someone calling his name softly, like they were trying not to be overheard. Consciousness was rapidly returning and as the minutes went by the voice sounded more familiar. "Come on Clint hurry and wake up I need to talk to you before they catch me", Ethan Hunt was telling him. "Catch him, now that sounded strange. Clint forced his eyes open and looked up at the ceiling, then he turned his head to look around him rapidly. This looked like the medical section of SHIELD so they had not been caught while he was unconscious, what was Ethan Hunt going on about. "Hunt shut up", he muttered sourly. All he wanted to do was lie here and feel relieved that it was over and he could actually acknowledge the fact he had a brother. Suddenly Clint sat bolt upright as his mind caught up with the fact he was alone in this room. Where was Will. He felt fear rise as he considered the fact Ethan had come to tell him some bad news. Looking at Ethans face intently did not reassure him, the other agent clearly looked distressed and was not trying to hide that fact. He would have leapt from the bed, but he still had monitors attached to him, there was also a heaviness within his limbs that told him he was medicated. There was nothing wrong with his voice though and he demanded, "whats happened".

Ethan touched his hand warmly for the first time offering a small smile. He knew exactly what Clint was thinking and was sorry for causing him distress. "Will's not dead,I am sorry if I scared you", he reassured him quickly. Clint lay back as relief filled him. He sat back up again moments later though . Ethan Hunt still sounded strange and he needed to know why. "Okay he's not dead, but something is wrong", he took a breath thinking rapidly. Another reason for Ethan's behavior entered his mind. "Is it his arm", he asked shakily. Ethans nod, brought back the fear. Had Will's arm had to be amputated so save his life. " That and other things, theres a problem Clint", Ethan told him. Well that was obvious. Clint did not immediately ask what that problem was as he wanted to know the answer to a more important question. "Where is Will", he insisted. Ethan glanced at the clock then back at Clint. "He should be leaving the recovery room any minute", he told Clint. "So I'll see him soon then", Clint asked. The desire to see Will was beginning to become more intense as he became more aware. Ethan looked around him again, nervously. He was well aware he was not supposed to be here talking to Clint, that was Fury and Secretary Killian's job. But there was no way he wanted Clint to find out news this important from them first. He braced himself intently knowing how he had responded when director Fury had told him this. "No Will is not coming here Clint. Fury had ordered him placed in a secure room within SHIELD. I believe that is where they take people they perceive to be enemies". Ethan felt like hitting something and rapidly crossed the room to punch the wall. "I told them Will is not betraying anyone, but they won't listen".

Clint was feeling scared and confused, what the heck had happened while he was unconscious. He was about to get answers when the door on the far side of the room opened. Ethan just stood there not looking or feeling guilty about his actions as two important people entered. "Gideon Killian looked angry at seeing him and snapped, "out Hunt now". Ethan stood his ground, "no', he said firmly, "this concerns me and my team as well". Director Fury looked Hunt up and down coldly, "I would like to know how you managed to override security and get in here", he growled. "Yeah I bet you would", Ethan responded in a tone that was equally as icy. All the respect he had for SHIELD and Director Fury had vanished the moment the word betrayal had been associated with Will.

An atmosphere of tension clearly hung over the room and the three of them sized each other up. Ethan was well aware that he could simply be dragged from the room. At least if that happened Clint had been told by a friend what was going on.

"For goodness sake stop it all of you and let me know what the hell is going on", Clint angrily demanded.

"Let Hunt stay, he is right in the fact that it does concern him and his team", Gideon Killian was suddenly changing his mind. It was because he knew exactly how Hunt felt. He too had screamed at the SHIELD director and there had been a scene in full view of many SHIELD personal. Then he had been dragged off to a interview room and left there to sort himself out.

Fury was now most definitely in charge. But he was not going to sit in that room and stew. So he'd had to go along with what was happening for now.

The director of SHIELD approached Clint Barton slowly the look on his face clearly indicating what he was about to say was not going to be pleasant. "We found the person responsible for informing the enemy about the IMFs teams location, it was Will", he told Clint.

Clint's fists clenched at the information and his mind lurched out of balance. This was very bad.

"For goodness sake it was not his damn fault and you know it. Stop all this nonsense Fury", Killian found himself exploding again.

Fury's one good eye flashed as he swiveled away from Clint. 'I take all threats to SHIELD seriously Mr Secretary. There are questions that need to be answered. Now do you need to be put back in that interview room again", Nick was icy calm when he made the threat. He did not want problems between IMF and SHIELD escalating but dammit he did not like the thought of a man who was clearly anti SHIELD being out there plotting his next move either.

Ethan looked over at his boss. He recognized the danger clearly. Many people had underestimated this secretary and learnt the hard way that they were wrong. But here in this base Gideon Killian was clearly outnumbered. It was a scary thought that suddenly IMF had become the prisoners of SHIELD. Getting out of this situation was not going to be easy. Ethan waited tensely to see what next more either of the bosses made. The solution though came from an unexpected direction

"Alright there are questions to be answered, I'll get Will to tell you everything", Clint shouted. Fury and Killian looked over at him. Fury's anger seemed to have dissipated when he replied. "Alright, I'll take you to him. Bare in mind Clinton that I want the truth", he warned.

Fury had felt like Clint may know something and was protecting his brother. Steve Rogers had told him of the archers comments to Will when he climbed the tree on the Island. Clint evidently was the big brother and saw it as his responsibility to look after his sibling. How far would he go though. Would he lie, Fury had always thought of Clint as being unfailingly loyal to SHIELD. But with the discovery of an identical twin it looked like things may be changing. He felt sorrow fill him at that. The potential for this to end badly had gone even higher.

Looking deeply into his bosses eyes Clint felt like he needed to tell him something. "I won't lie for him Nick, because I don't need to, Will is not the enemy in all this."

"Yeah well the enemy is still out there Clint. Our man from the island escaped and I do not know how he did it", Fury told him. Clints horror at that statement was quite clear to see. "Then you shold be protecting Will, not condemning him", he demanded.

Fury's eyes did not drop from his and Clint could read something there that made his anxiety go even higher, "oh I see, you think Will is working for him". Well you are wrong", Clint shouted that last sentence. "He had a huge knife under Will's throat and was going to gut him like a fish." He still had not got that image out of his head.

"That is what he has done to others in his quest to get answers. It is evident that he thinks Agent Brandt has something to tell him", Nick responded. "Yeah well lets not sit here all getting uptight, let's just go and find out", Gideon Killian responded.

"Yes but just to be clear, since the threat is to SHIELD, then I an in charge", Nick just had to have the last word. He was not too sure what the almost smug look the Secretary of the IMF gave him in response meant at first. But when the man pulled a phone out of his pocket and handed it to him he found out.

The voice on the phone was very familiar and it told him firmly that , "since the agent concerned is IMF they have the right to lead this investigation". He had no choice but to say "Yes Mr President' and hang up. Evidently Gideon Killian had some powerful friends. "Well will still share all intel Director Fury. Your agent is right we need to focus on the real enemy in this. I am sure that is not my agent"", he stared at Fury before marching past him saying, "lets go talk to Agent Brandt". Ethan managed to keep the smile from his face as he walked past the SHIELD director. Clint did smirk slightly as he climbed shakily out of his bed. he would not let Fury help him as he wavered for a moment before regaining his balance. Feeling like his mind was still stuffed with cotton wool Clint left his room.

Will had awoke an hour earlier to find himself alone in small room. It did not take him long to determine that the room was secured as the doctor used some sort of scanner before entering. Although the woman told him her name she would not tell him anything else. He had been an agent long enough to sense trouble though. There was very little he could do about that trouble now as he still felt like a newborn kitten, weak and powerless. He knew he was drugged and found himself trying to force the foggy feeling in his mind away. Lifting his left hand he could see the IV attached, snaking somewhere up above his head. Part of his though did not want to look toward his other arm. There was no sensation there and it scared him. Perhaps his arm was not even there. Bracing himself Will turned his head. Relief filled him as he saw right arm lying on top of the sheets. A dressing ran from just below his arm joint right down to under his elbow.

Hearing the door beep again Will turned his head to see Doctor Minalla approaching. She was not quite practiced enough to keep the concern off her face. "What's going on Doc", Will croaked out through a dry throat. "Where's Clint", guilty he thought that he had not asked that question yet. "He's on his way", the doctor replied. That was obviously not what she had come to tell him ,he thought. "Well that is most likely the good news Doc, so what is the bad", he asked. She gave him a small nod confirming that fact that he was sensing right, something unpleasant was coming. "Some things have happened Agent Brandt and director Fury and your boss need some answers. I know you do not feel the best, but I had no choice other than to approve them talking to you", the doctor told them.

Will hardly hd much time to take that in as the door opened the minute the doctor finished the sentence. He found himself smiling despite his anxiety as Clint pushed the other two out of the way and approached him. "Hey", he greeted warmly touching his hand. "Hey yourself", Will responded softly. He could not help a glance past Clint as the other two men. Gideon Killian looked rather grim as did the man beside him. His anxiety levels peaked a little, making an alarm sound for a brief second on the monitor. When the doctors head swiveled angrily toward the other men Will found himself tensing. "Gentlemen Agent Brandt is not really up to this", she snapped. "I do not care, the man with an eye patch said grimly. 'Get him stable enough to talk to us ,then leave".

Now that really scared Will. "My lead remember", Gideon Killian interrupted. He pushed past Fury and approached the bed. Looking down at him with unreadable blue eyes Gideon Killian looked menacing. Clint's expression was sad now and his hand tightened over his. "What's going on Clint", Will asked.

"The man who held knife against your throat was captured by SHIELD but unfortunately escaped not long ago. Since he is unavailable for questioning have to find another source for our answers and you Agent Brandt are it", Gideon Killian explained. Will felt his throat constrict in panic, he still remembered the feeling of impending death as the knife cut into his chin. The monitors screamed again prompting the man with the eye patch to lean over and turn the sound down. The doctor had not moved from his bedside and glared fiercely at that man."He's going to talk no matter what doctor", the man growled in response to the unspoken protest. No matter what, he could tell by the tone that it was serious. Looking up he could see a camera watching him. He was obviously not in this room for his own protection.

Turning his head toward Clint he asked shakily, 'what's happened". Clint wanted to scream and yell about mistreatment but knew that would just see him removed from the room by force. He imagined that at the moment he felt like Bruce Banner trying to contain a Hulk out. It was so difficult, to force an angry response to Will's imprisonment down but he had to do it. Taking a breath he told his brother, 'it is time to tell the truth Will".

Fury and Killian noticed the look that seemed to pass between the two of them, like some form of non verbal communication. It was almost spooky. After 2 minutes of intense staring Will broke off the gaze and said simply, "alright". Nick cast a look at Clint . It was evident that the archer was indeed holding back some information. That concerned him deeply. He knew that evicting him from the room would only cause trouble though. So he just had to forge ahead, or rather Gideon Killian did.

Moving over to a small cupboard, The secretary of the IMF opened it and brought the covered object over to Will's bedside. "The issue is Agent Brandt that we found out how Mr Ivanoff and his team knew your location. It was down to you Will." He uncovered a small metal device. "This was found in your arm". "It was giving off a signal that once the frequency was known would be able to be tracked".

Clint's hand tightened on Will's and he awaited anxiously for his brother to say anything. It was not his voice that was telling him the answer however it was his look .Will stared at the object in what could only be described as absolute horror. He closed his eyes feeling the shakes decend upon him. When he spoke his voice was barely audible and shaky, "I betrayed the whole team, they could have all died. That to me is the most horrible thing you can imagine. When I thought I had not managed to save Ethan's wife from death I quit being an agent because I felt a failure. This is far worse. You should just fire me now Mr Secretary because I don't deserve to be in the field."

Surprisingly Gideon Killian ventured a small smile. He could tell from the tone of total devastation within Will's voice that he had not known about the device . Though he had not actually believed that Will would possess that knowledge. They had already examined the device and came up with some interesting facts. "Don't get all self sacrificing on me Agent Brandt, as you obviously did not know then it is hardly your fault. That whole mission only had one goal and that was actually capturing you. I presume the device is what they wanted." Although it is old it is still a technological wonder and would be an asset to anyone undertaking some sort of covert mission."

Clint gave him a much wider smile and squeezed his hand firmly. "So that is what caused the paralysis in my arm", Will stated with a disgusted look at the device. "Yes , actually that explosion did you a favour Agent Brandt. The device had caused a high grade infection. If we had not discovered its presence you could have permanently lost all use of your arm and possibly had to have it amputated to save your life. As it was it was you were lucky", the doctor told him. Will looked down at his right hand and carefully noticed one of his fingers move slightly in response to the thoughts of movment in his mind. For the first time he relaxed.

He forced himself to look at the offending device, "so it's a tracking device then. How long has it been in my arm. Shit I could have compromised all my missions", he muttered. "Actually it is not a tracking device Agent Brandt, the man with the eye patch told him. For the first time his voice sounded less menacing. "Oh heck I forgot the introduction, the secretary apologized. "This is the director of SHIELD, Nick Fury". Clint works for SHIELD." That was a simple explanation but it did cover almost everything .

Will had heard of SHIELD and stared up at Clint in awe. Clint smiled back. "So if it is not a tracking device, then what is it", Will asked ,his gaze still on Clint. "It is a stealth device, Agent Brandt. Simply put it enables you to disappear. Not physically you understand, but from any device searching for your location. It is ingenious little gadget and not something we have ever seen before. From our studies of the device it is evident it has been in your arm for several years. Who it was designed by is a mystery as for why it was in your arm ,well it most definitely would stop any criminal element trying to trace you unless they physically knew your location. We thought perhaps Clint may also have one, but have now dismissed that theory", Nick Fury replied. He took a breath, "you are not in this room, simply because we thought you knew about the device Agent Brandt. It is because we encountered other tech that we had not heard of and that was being used by the enemy".

Will felt stunned and scared. He could feel his hand shaking within Clints'. 'Just take it slow, one step at a time", his brother advised him. Okay, first deal with the questions, you want to know before answering theres Will thought. "What is the point of a stealth device if you can track its location", he asked.

Gideon recognised a little avoidance in Will's question. But ignored it for now. He was off balance and answering his questions would give him time to regain his equilibrium .

"The tracking signal is meant for retrieval of the device only. As I said it emits a tracking signal that would only be detectable to those who know the frequency. That frequency can also be changed if necessary. For instance if someone undesirable found out about the device." Now Agent Brandt I think that question qualifies as stalling. "Someone went to great lengths to hide you from the world. Unfortuntely those lengths are no longer working and a very dangerous man is targeting you". What do you know about all of this", Nick Fury demanded. "I think I know why it was necessary to put that in my arm", Will replied. "It would not have happened at the time of our initial surgery but later on. I guess I only have myself to blame. "Its because of something I knew, that Clint did not". He glanced over at Clint for a minute and received a nod from his brother.

FLASHBACK-scene on Hawaiian island

Will could feel the hand in his own and hear that strange voice that sounded similar to his. When his eyes finally struggled open he found his own face staring at him. He could see a few stratches and makes on that face that told him the man was not wearing a mask. His heart started hammering very fast and he began to feel rather weird. "Look I know this is strange, that man told him, and perhaps scary . Theres a good reason why I look like you." Then the man paused like some dramatic movie waiting for the punchline. "It's because… Clints voice had trailed off when Will had spoken. His shock had finally worn off, "Clint, is that you", he asked. Now Clint Barton stood there in absolute shock. He had thought that Will would not remember him. "You remembered", he choked out haltingly.

"Actually Clint, I never forgot", Will told him

END flashback

Now that surprise was mirrored in the eyes of those around him. "So if you knew then how come you never tried to find him", Ethan asked firmly. He looked over at Clint expecting to see on his face that he had asked the same question. It would feel rather like Will did not want to know him. Strangely though he saw only understanding. "I was not supposed to find him Ethan, that was clear from the beginning. But I was only a little boy who wanted his brother and was determined to find him, no matter what. That led to me placing myself in danger and I guess that's when they put that device in my arm."

"How come you could remember", Gideon Killian asked. He knew that he was drawing the moment away from finding out more direct answers. But he had a feeling the answer to that question just might tell them more. Clint had not gotten an answer to that one either. He could see that Will looked paler' now like the memory was unpleasant. He knew his ones of the surgery had prompted those horrific nightmares and tightened his hand further upon Wills. "Easy remember', he said softly.

Will knew they were all waiting for answers but had to take a moment to compose himself. The memories of what had happened were just at the surface now and they were not pleasant. He looked at Clint sadly, 'there is a lot you don't know Clint and hearing it is not going to be easy".

Clint felt Will's hand squeeze his now. He could not read Will's face now but the voice scared him as did his bodys response. All the monitors attached to Will were now showing red lights and if they had not been turned down every alarm would be screaming. This was going to be bad.

"Clint was the first one to be operated upon. I was sedated at the time, but conscious enough to know what was going on". The horror in his tone was vivid and it brought tears to Clints eyes as well as Ethans.

His team leader looked at Will with new clarity. Hearing all this explained some of Wills behavior and made him decide to react differently the next time Will Brandt had an 'issue'.

"Mother was there watching it all. She knew she should not be doing this", Will's voice was not cold, just resigned. "Her guilt killed her, literally near the end of Clint's surgery." Clint swallowed hard. Now that memories of Will had resurfaced so had some of his mother. He remembered her smile and warm hands, and kisses toward both of them. That she had loved them was beyond questioning. But what Will was saying was scaring him. "She had only paid for Clints surgery not mine. So the doctor stopped the operation. Not that it matter because a few minutes later the door got broken down and someone came to our rescue".

"Who", came the questing of three voices interwoven. All of them wanted to know now. Clint had not spoken because of the look on Will's face. It was now sadness. "The same person, who put that device in your arm", guessed Nick Fury. "Will nodded, 'yeah". Do you know that persons name", Gideon Killian asked. Will nodded again his eyes still on Clint's. He was silent now his ,eyes still holding that sadness. Clint was now almost as pale as Will as he sensed a revelation coming. "So it is someone you have been protecting for a long time. He saved you, I get that agent Brandt. But as your brother has told you we need to know the truth", Fury pressed. "Clint you don't know this bit", Will spoke only to his brother now. He shut out the rest of them in the room and concentrated only on him. "His name was Joseph Brandt, he is our father".


	19. Chapter 19- the truth won't set you free

Chapter 19- the truth won't set you free

Clint had found the room swirling around him as Will said the word 'father'. His chest was tight and he was finding it hard to breath. He knew he was hyperventilating but could not make himself stop. Memories from boyhood were swirling around him his head, making him feel uneasy . He stumbled and would have fallen to the floor if Gideon Killian had not grabbed him and gently eased him down. "It's alright Agent Barton just breathe", the doctor told him. Ethan moved in to offer support leaving Fury alone by Will.

Perhaps this was it Fury thought, the beginning of the end of Clints relationship with SHIELD. Already Gideon Killian is acting more caring than I have been. Yeah and if you start thinking like it is still a competition then he's already won, he told himself firmly. He had to admit to himself that he was still smarting about being out maneuvered by IMFs secretary. Quickly grabbing a blanket off Will Brandt's bed he covered Clint up. Looking over at Will, he could see that that his eyes were firmly closed and he looked unconscious . It was time to suggest a break. "Why don't we all go for coffee and give these two awhile to recover", he suggested.

"Yes good idea", Ethan hurriedly seconded. It had become a little too tense in the room and they all needed to shake off the feeling of having the walls close in around them. "No", that voice was weak but it clearly belonged to Will. "He needs to hear the rest, know that I did not give up on him".

Clint could feel his breathing begin to even out as he regained control. Hearing that comment made him climb to his feet, despite the dizzy sensation it gave him. With Ethan's arm on his he moved over to Will's side and took up his hand again. "No Will, I do not believe it could be your fault. I know what it's like to be controlled by others. Remind me to tell you about someone called Loki sometime", he smiled down at Will and used his other hand to stroke his head gently. "We are all involved in things we regret and some of them hurt more than others. I think the secret to getting over them is having people you care about around you. We are both lucky in that". He knew that was an emotional speech for him but did not care. Will opened his eyes and smiled softly at Clint. "You've gone mushy ', he managed to tease. Clint grinned, 'have not', he replied quickly. 'Have too", Will responded. "Have not",Clint said louder, "have …",Will began. It was evident the two of them were now engaged in some brotherly moment and would not stop. 'Okay you two save the teasing for later', Gideon Killian remarked. It did not sound like an order because it was said with a grin. If Will could make the effort to tease then he was going to be alright.

Clint was still smiling as he told his brother, "we have lots of time Will. Now why don't we take that suggested break. We can get you moved to another less intimidating location", he shot a rather sour look at Fury. Fury was about to agree to that when once again Will Brandt said "no, I need this to be over Clint. To know that neither of us have to run and hide anymore". Clint understood that sentiment as well. He had felt people watching him carefully ever since the Loki incident. They were appraising him and if they did not like what they saw he guessed they would act. It was a situation he wanted to hide from. But he did not because ultimately it was Loki who was the one who had done those horrible things and not him. "Go ahead then Will, but stop if you feel you need to', he told his brother. Will nodded and drew a shaky breath out. This was not going to be easy. "We were talking about our father', he reminded them. "Do you remember anything about him Clint', Will asked. Clint bit his lip hard as he thought about that question. There was silence in the room now, nobody prompted Clint, they just stood waiting for the story to unfold. It was obvious there were secrets here and some of them were going to be painful. After about 5 minutes Clint answered. "Mostly impressions ,not anything clear, I guess he wasn't around a lot of the time just coming and going. He and mother argued a lot. I seemed to recall some shouting matches late at night but I always to sleepy to investigate them further." There was regret in Clint's voice now, it spoke of the sorrow of having two parents that could not live together in harmony.

"Yes that was about all I could recall until I figured out why I could not make myself wake up when I heard them shouting. Remember our nightly hot chocolates well, Mum used to put something in it to make us drowsy when dad came around. I just pretended to drink it for a few nights. Then I was wide awake when he visited next. I soon discovered what all those arguments were about", Will's tone was sad.

"When mother took us to that doctor she was not only trying to hide us from people that were hunting us, but also from our father', Will told Clint. That was one of those moments that Thor and Steve Rogers would describe as a Star wars moment. They had all watched those movies recently and shared in the shock when Luke Skywalkers parentage was revealed. He hope his father was not following the dark side. Clint wet his lips nervously and waited for his brother to continue. Will looked pale and in pain but his voice was still even when he continued. "Do you remember the amazing toys were used to play with", he asked. Now that question was a little unusual Clint thought at first as it seemed to have no relevance. It did prompt some pleasant memories of being engrossed in these amazing toys that no other child seemed to own. The feelings of being special arose as well. "Yeah, I remember them, they were unique. I never saw anything like them in the stores", Clint answered. "That's because dad designed and made them himself. He did love us Clint, passionately. Only he got caught up in something he could not control and it touched our lives as well".

"Anyway designing was his profession however some of the things he designed were not toys. He was a bit like you Clint, he discovered he had a talent at a young age. Some people can think up amazing things, but have no idea how to make them or even if they would actually be possible to make or just part of science fiction. That was not dad, he could imagine and create. Some of his designs were ahead of their time and would only be possible when technology caught up with his ideas.' Anyway he knew the danger in being a designer, that people would want him to create weapons or other things that were equally as destructive. But he still wanted to put his mind to work and use his gift in a way that would benefit people." So he looked around for an employer that would grant him that wish. He was not a naïve man and made sure he had thoroughly investigated any prospective employer. If he could find any links to any government or any rebel group within any country he was not interested."Anyway he finally found a company that were setting up a think tank of brilliant people to help design things in many fields including medical, industrial, sports and so on to aid peoples lives. Dad went to work for them and everything seemed to be going well until he found out they weren't who they seemed to be". I suppose it is a familiar story but this particular employer work had a long history of working for the good of all people."

When dad and the others he worked with found out their work was being sold to undesirables they rebelled. Unfortunately these were the type of people that used harsh means to bring people into line, like threatening their families." "Dad thought that iif he could make that cloaking shield thingy work that he could move us and the enemy would never find us. He would then just draw them off himself. Mother disagreed with him and that led to the late night arguments. Unfortunately some of the parts needed to make that device work were still in the production phase. While he was trying to think up another way Mother took the step of arranging that surgery". Will took a breath and Clint handed him a glass of water.

Fury , Ethan and Gideon were all nodding. Threatening peoples families was a familiar tactic many undesirables used and helped them to understand why the twins mother was so afraid. Fury had a number of questions in mind and started off with the one that to him was the most important. "Did your father ever mention who these enemies were Agent Brandt", he asked. Now it was Will who was biting his lip as he searched his mind. "You're good at recalling things Will", Ethan prompted. Will kept thinking, " I think I overheard dad mentioning a name once". It was an odd name", he mused. They all waited but Will said nothing further. Fury could think of a number of names to prompt Will with but did not want to put thoughts that were not correct into his mind. Finally Will said ,"it was some sort of mythological reference ", I remember liking all those weird monsters from Greek mythology and I have this vague recollection that this group named themselves after one of them."

He looked over at Nick Fury who had gone rather pale. Some deep instinct told him this man knew exactly who he was talking about and was now feeling a type of fear. "HYDRA", Fury finally got the word out of his momentarily frozen lips. "Yes", Will did not have to think any more to know that was the name he had heard. "I think I have heard of them", Gideon Killian remarked softly. "Didn't your Steve Rogers encounter them and put an end to them a long time ago". "He fought them yes, but unfortunately HYDRA lives up to their name, if you cut one head off another will grow in its place. They are still out there somewhere," Fury replied.

"So whoever that guy was who likes using his knife on people is most likely a HYDRA operative. He was just using Ivanoff or Baxter , as you know him to make the initial contact.", Fury continued. When he said the word knife Will Brandt sat upright in the bed his eyes wide and startled, "now I know where I have seen him before". His breathing quickened as the unpleasant memory came rushing back. He touched his right arm, tracing his fingers lightly over the bandage. "He was the one, who attacked me many years ago ,he cut me and broke my arm. He would have kept on hurting me but dad intervened. I needed surgery to mend my arm ,most likely that was when that device was inserted". He looked over at them, 'don't ask me his real name, because I do not know it. I was wondering why it felt so familiar when he was holding that knife upon me on the island. He of course has aged a lot, that's why it didn't immediately register that I'd met him before."

They were leading onto the next question Fury thought. It was odd now how silent Gideon Killian was being. Apart from the odd comment, he was not actively seeking answers. Still he seemed the type to take things in deeply before committing himself. Fury had asked Tony Stark to look into his background and had found nothing to raise alarm bells. But you could never tell what exactly motivated some people. He opened his mouth to ask the next and possibly most important question . Before he could the IMF secretary surprised him by asking it first. "Why was he chasing you Will. Was it just because he thought you could lead him to your father". Will fell silent his eyes downward and not meeting theirs. It was obvious he did not want to continue. "Well", Gideon Killian said that one word in a more demanding tone .Will shot him a look that was filled with pain and fear. "You are safe here Will, nothing is going to hurt you" ,Clint told him firmly in a tone that would have made many people afraid for their lives.

Will let out of breath. It was a slow release that spoke of years of tension, of holding in something that was difficult to contain. "Not entirely". That man knew that if he came after me dad would come to rescue me. But trapping our father was not his ultimate goal."

"Remember I told you that the others in the think tank rebelled. Well they shut down all the systems and took the information they had not yet released with them. Now I suppose you could say that was stupid , that destroying all they had done was the safer option. But it was valuable research that could still benefit the right people if it was handled appropriately. Instead of lots of people knowing where that information was kept and putting themselves at risk ,dad volunteered to be the one that hid it. He did that because he felt guilty that it was his work that was being turned into some of the most dangerous things." It did not stop what was I presume HYDRA hunting down and killing many of the other people who had worked alongside our father. " Will stopped again and looked up at Clint. There was something in his gaze that terrified the archer. "Mother's illness was not natural Clint"." She was infected with one of the virus's created in that think tank. Dad was offered the cure in return for the location of the research. That is also why she was so afraid, she thought the next victims would be you or I." Clint found himself slumping into a chair that seemed to have just appeared beneath him. This was more horrible than he had anticipated. "So dad had to let her die", he whispered the words softly. Will shook his head slightly, "he did not want her to die Clint. But he could not unleash the terrors created on other people. He knew that the virus could not be recreated. You see the people in the think tank were smart enough to make sure none of their work could be completed without their research notes. Not even having the actual virus or device was enough". He looked over at Nick Fury, "did you find that out about that device". Nick nodded, "yes, Tony Stark tried to do a fairly intensive analysis, but found there were protective means that blocked JARVIS fully studying the device. We only found out some basic information because of the damage caused by the sea water. Another thing he found was the most likely that device and the substance used on the missile and bullets to enable them to piece the Iron man suit and cause damage to Steve's shield were designed by the same person. They both had certain similarities that led him to that conclusion" . Nick was looking at both Will and Clint in a measuring way tinged with compassion, their father had created that substance and now it was being used against them. It would not be a pleasant realization.

"Okay we seem to have gotten a little away from why you are being chased Will", Gideon pointed out. 'It's been years since all this happened." Will nodded, "yes but remember I said some of dads designs were ahead of their time. It would be possible to recreate them now", he took a breath. '"I also said that dad hid all the information from the researchers at the think tank". There was a pause again. Will's reluctance to continue was again coming through. But he did not have to say the next part because the others in the room had already figured it our. Their voices intertwined as Nick Fury and Gideon Killian both came to the same conclusion. "Do you know where that research is hidden', they asked. Will was silent his face pale and strained, "it is dangerous knowledge that has already killed people. They could not prevent the loss of some of their work. But the rest is safe and it should never be allowed to see the light of day unless you have very good scruples". He looked at them boldly, "that does not include either IMF or SHIELD", he said firmly. Gideon Killian did not try and correct his image of IMF because he knew that at times that had done things that were less than ethical in an attempt to stop some very bad people. "I'll take that as a yes, you do know where that research is hidden", he replied. "Look Will I understand the sentiment and even respect your ideals. You have already suffered a lot because of that research. But I don't think you have a choice anymore, HYDRA want that information as well and their means of obtaining it are not going to be pleasant. You say you want to feel safe and to stop running. While that information is out there you never will and perhaps Clint will have to start running as well." It was only that fact that HYDRA believed you did not know of each other's existence that kept them from using Clint as a means of getting you to tell them everything. Now things have changed".

Will looked down, he knew Gideon Killian was correct. He wished the research had been destroyed years ago. But he did not know how to do that himself. "It was only one time a long time ago that I went with dad to this place. I can't draw you a map or give you directions because I was blindfolded at the time. But my senses picked up certain information that may allow me to find it again."

Gideon Killian tried hard not to smile, Will had mostly agreed to letting them have this research. Nick Fury wanted to know one final question before they proceed further. 'if HYDRA is only after you ,then I am assuming that your father is dead", he asked. Will swallowed , tears welling up in his eyes, he simply nodded. Clint too felt sorrow, though he had not had the same relationship with their father. "He had to tell me all this when I was only 7 years old to try and make me understand why I could not look for Clint. Even then I did not listen and it was my fault that that man came after me. I was in my teens by then and I finally looked in the face of danger and understood everything our father was fighting against".

He looked over at them. "Yes I may be able to take you to tha research, but HYDRA will be waiting for me to step outside that door", his voice wavered when he said that. This fight was a long way from being over.

Nick Fury and Gideon Killian knew he was telling the truth. In fact Will had been given a drug that would prevent him from lying to them. It was not something that Gideon Killian had liked approving but he knew that getting the truth was vital. Now he understood why Will Brandt had hidden this for so long. He was afraid that the good side would become the bad if they had that research information. He vowed that would not happen and that IMF would find a way to use that research in a beneficial way. However HYDRA would not take the same view. They would take aggressive means to obtain Will Brandt and who knows what other leaked research they might have to use against them. Getting William Brandt to that secret location was not going to be easy.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20- rat in a trap

"I am giving you both three days to catch up. After that Will is being escorted out of this base to another secure location", Fury told Clint. Three days, it did not seem long enough to Clint. How could he possibly catch up on everything he had missed in Will's life in three measly days. But he did not dare complain. He knew those three days were a gift. Fury would have had Will moved now but the doctors had advised against it. So he vowed to make the most of the time they had.

He knew Fury was working with the IMF secretary to plan the escort details. They were not discussing any of those details with him. Of course that was his fault. "Use me as a decoy", he had insisted to Fury. "That badass dude can't tell us apart". Fury of course had already thought of that ."Yes we could definitely do that Clint. I have to tell you something before I make my final decision on whether to take that option. Because of the fact unknown tech is being used against us there is a risk that you could be captured. Of course we would do everything to prevent that, but the risk is still there. HYDRA know there are two of you so would verify your identity before proceeding. Once they found out you were not Will, they would not hesitate to use you to secure your brother. He trusts you and they would want to exploit that. We both know that they employ mind control methods. You have already been down that path before and still carry the scars. Are you ready to face that possibility again" , Fury had given him this searching gaze. As much as Clint did not want it to happen, he felt himself go pale as soon as the word 'mind control' was uttered. His head started to feel light and fuzzy and an unsteadiness came over his limbs. For a couple of seconds Clint was sure he was about to pass out. He stepped backward however when Fury reached out a steadying hand. Even as he took that step Clint knew that he had just ended his chances of being involved. " I am sorry Clint but you cannot be involved at all". "The team will include the rest of the Avengers and the IMF group. You will stay here". Fury told him. He felt hot anger rise within him, but was not sure it was directed at his boss. He felt angry at himself for letting Will down, even though he knew Will did not want him to put himself in danger.

So he had taken a big breath and agreed. Mainly because he was still feeling shaky about the Loki thing and would not let anything like that happen to him again. Feeling slightly guilty about how off balance Furys reference to mind control had made him feel Clint focused on some all important introductions. If his friends were going to protect Will then they needed to get to know him better.

Will was sliding gingerly out of the bed in the medical section when Clint rushed over to him. 'Hey I told you to wait for me before trying that", he chastised. Will gave him a half glare, "I have to do it sometime Clint so I don't feel vulnerable." Clint watched Will steady himself trying hard to restrain the impulse to take him by the arm. He knew though that Will felt like he did, powerless and at least conquering his physical incapacity would make him feel slightly better.

Will could feel his body trembling as he stood on the cold floor. But he ignored the sensation and concentrated on moving one foot and then the other. He was determined not to fall on his face. His right arm was comfortably secured in a sling but it still throbbed as he slowly moved forward. At least the throbbing was a reminder of the fact his arm was still functioning.

Noticing he was at least moving Clint fell in beside him. "Since I have already met your team, I think it is only fair that you get a proper introduction to mine", he told Will. Will froze, "we are going to meet the Avengers", he choked out. He did not feel like he was strong enough to visit super heros.

Clint noticed the trembling and reached out to touch Will softly. "They are people as well Will, so they do understand what has happened to you." Since they will be responsible for protecting you it is important that you get to know them better." Clint looked away from him for minute as his guilt about not being included on the mission to protect his brother surfaced again. Will seemed to know what was on his mind. "I would not want you to place yourself in danger on my behalf Clint. After such a long time apart I am happy we have found each other. But you need to understand that I am quite capable of fighting my own battles".Clint scowled at him, "well you don't get to fight this one alone, now stop stalling and lets go meet the others." Will admitted to himself that he had been stalling for time and hoping Clint would change his mind about the introduction. His brother though had a stubborn streak and would not budge. So Will settled shakily by his side as they walked into the main recreation area of this SHIELD base.

There had been friendly chatter in the air , the smiles and laughter of friends. It really did make them just seem like ordinary people. Will took a little moment to watch them all. Then the first set of eyes swung toward him. Silence fell in the room shortly after that and soon all the eyes were staring. Will was determined not to fall on his face as he boldly looked back at the legends. Seeing the beaming face of Ethan amongst the others Will sucked out a breath of relief. "Come on", Clint was close now, taking his arm and moving him forward. He did not shake him off. They stopped first in front of a tall handsome muscled man. Will's hand was already shaking as Clint announced, "Will this is Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America". "Will muttered , "nice to meet you", noting that his words all ran together. Steve Rogers did not seem bothered by that just holding out his hand and shaking Will's firmly. Will noticed him staring at his face and comparing it to that of Clint. Will could not think of a next sentence so it was just as well Clint moved him along to an even taller and more muscled blond. "This is Thor", Clint told him. Will just stared at his first alien and had no idea what to say. Luckily Thor seemed to know about earth greetings and shook his hand gently. He had half expected his whole arm to drop off so the gentle handshake surprised him. Obviously they were being nice to him. "It is good to finally meet Clint's brother", Thor boomed out. Will still could not think of anything to say. Thankfully they were moving on again, this time to an attractive red head.

Before Clint could even speak Natasha pulled him forward and planted a deep kiss on his lips. That gave Will the distinct impression these two were more than just friends. Now he felt more nervous than he had when he'd met Thor. "Be nice", Clint told Natasha as she reached forward and pulled Will over to face her. She said nothing just looking him over from head to foot. Will just waited , not dropping his gaze from hers. "Wow, that is incredible Clint. If you were dressed alike I don't think I could tell you apart just by looking at you.", She smiled at Will, "does he also have a scar on his…", she never got the last word out because Clint said, "Natasha, play nice", in a tone that verged on embarrassment. Will idly wondered where on earth Clint had a scar that prompted that response."It nice to meet you", he managed to choke out. "You too sweetie", Natasha leaned in a kissed him on the cheek.

Clint looked over the room again noting a few absenses for the first time. "I guess Tony and Bruce are in the lab", he asked. "Yes they are", Steve acknowledged. While Clint was talking to Steve Will left Natasha and made his way over to Benji , Ethan, Jane and Gideon Killian. Benji shook his hand, Jane gave him a quick kiss on his cheek and Ethan just stared for a minute. Then he gave Will a quick embrace, patted his back and let go. That had been the most amazing welcome from his team leader. "I suppose we'll have to talk about what happened on the mission sometime", Will said anxiously to Ethan. He was referring to his disobeying of Ethans orders. "We can do that when this present situation is over Will", Ethan told him firmly. Will nodded, he guessed that Ethan would say that. None of them wanted to bring up any other issues while the threat of HYDRA was hanging over him. It didn't mean they weren't there though to go through his mind. His boss also shook his hand and said nothing else. Will guessed he'd be giving him orders later .

"Why don't you join us for a drink", Steve asked, wanting to make Will feel more comfortable. "Maybe later Steve, I want to get the introductions over with first. Then we can all have a little time together". "I'll take Will to meet Tony and Bruce then come back here later", Clint told them. He took hold of Will's arm again and escorted him out of the room.

"Well that was brief", Natasha remarked. "Yes, but its obvious Clint is not at ease about being left out of this mission. He doesn't want to stay around too long and pretend things are normal", Steve muttered. He regarded Natsasha seriously, "can you really not tell them apart just by looking', he asked. Natasha shook her head, "not while Clint has his clothes on", she replied without so much as a blush. Nobody asked her to clarify that remark. "Then we have to do what Fury has ordered and keep a close watch on Clint", Steve told them. He turned to Ethan, "you have to do the same with Will". Fury said Clint took his exclusion from this mission too calmly". He thinks Clint might try and plan something with his brother". That could involve them swapping places".

Ethan nodded, "we will keep watch over him. But I don't see how they can swap places, Clint has certain abilities that Will does not. You can trust me when I tell you Will does not know how to fire a bow and arrow". Gideon Killian nodded in agreement saying, "that fact would mean he would get caught out fairly quickly". Still I suppose he may just try and make the attempt". Will may not necessarily tell him or Ethan about what he was going to do either. That may just be something else to talk to Will about later.

Clint had to stop once on route to the lab as Will as still feeling shaky. His colour was a lot better now though and he had this proud way of walking that Clint recognised.

"So I am guessing we still have to meet the Hulk and Iron Man, "Will remarked with an obvious nervous swallow. 'You will not be meeting the Hulk, just Bruce Banner. He doesn't go around all green and roaring at everything everyday. Its reserved for special occasions", Clint told Will. Will was glad of that.

"As for the Iron man suit, well I suppose anyone could wear that. It just happens to be one of Tony's inventions", Clint added.

There now he had made the last too seem more normal, though talking to them may just dispel that thought. Tony and Bruce had a language all their own.

When they entered the lab Tony and Bruce were hunched over a screen. They were already talking in technical language. Clint noted Nick Fury was present as well. He had probably come to talk about the tech their father had created.

Nick looked up at them but did not say anything. Clint cleared his throat loudly . Bruce and Tony looked up and stared for a few minutes. "I have brought Will to meet you both, Clint told them. 'That is Bruce Banner, he pointed at the curly haired man, and that is Tony Stark", he indicated the other man.

Bruce stepped forward and offered his hand. He had a welcoming smile on his face. He looked so normal that Will did not hesitate as he took the hand and shook. "Nice to meet you Will", Bruce said warmly. Clint looked over at Tony who after the initial stare had put his head back down and now seemed to be ignoring them. He was muttering to himself. Walking closer Clint could see a lot of information scrolling across the screen. They had come while Tony was busy working and Clint knew it was not a good moment for them to interrupt his train of thought. But Will unfortunately did not. He was behind Tony looking at what he was doing. "You are trying to counter the effects of one of dads creations', Will stated. That comment did not make Tony stop, he kept muttering away. However the next thing Will said, created a moment Clint had thought he would never see. "You won't do it", Will remarked. Now Tony stopped and when he looked over at Will Clint thought he saw anger. Clint hurriedly tried to divert a sarcastic Tony moment by making the introduction. "Will this is Tony Stark", he introduced."I know who he is. The man who thinks he knows everything", Will stated . He did not sound impressed. Tony got the distinct impression that Will Brandt was pissed off about something he had done. "I do know more than most people", Tony said without the slightest hint of embarrassment and with a slight mocking tone that was directed at Will.

Will was unfazed though ,"so you know how to get the device working or stop the effects of that substance",he challenged as he nodded over to where a blackened wall gave a mute testimony to how well Tony's efforts had gone so far. Now Tony flushed and his slight foot shuffle indicated that remark had hit home. "So far we have not countered the substances effects", Bruce chipped in, "but we will", he added with total confidence. "Actually you wont", Will said it calmly. Now Tony coloured, "I think you might underestimate my abilities agent Brandt", he stated firmly. His tone had slid away from friendliness and into the same challenging voice he used when he was Iron Man. This was not the way Clint had expected this introduction to go. He should just pull Will out of the room now, before things could get messy. Nick Fury though seemed intrigued by the conversation and asked a question that neither Tony or Bruce would have even thought of asking a man who seemed to just be a regular guy. "Do you know more about this substance Agent Brandt. You were slightly out of it when it was used against the team on the island", Nick remarked. 'Yes I was, but Clint has filled me in on most of what happened. I know enough about what dad created to recognize this. It is the virus that killed our mother". Orginally it was created to boost the immune systems of ill patients and enable them to fight off diseases. It was mutated into a weapon that defends against other weapons by changing the cellular structure. The more you try to find a way to counter its effects the tougher it will get."In its mutated state it was never meant to be used on people. But that didn't mean that HYDRA wasn't going to see what it did. It would not be a pleasant way to die ". Eventually the mutated virus will have the same effect on your technology and arrogance won't save your life", Will snapped to Tony.

Bruce blew out a breath and tried to get things onto a calmer pace by saying , "that certainly explains why things aren't going well so far", he remarked. "Perhaps instead of finding a way to counter the substance we have to boost our own technology, just like providing a vaccine to combat the effects of a virus. "You've given me some ideas Agent Brandt", Bruce remarked with a smile.

Will noted that Tony Stark said nothing. The man did not like finding out that he did not know everything Will thought. Or to be told so by someone he deemed was not in the same intellectual class. Will could not believe how bold he had suddenly become as he just stared at Tony. The man actually dropped his eyes giving Will a slight little thrill of success.

The encounter had certainly been an interesting one for Nick Fury. He did not object about someone standing up to Tony Stark, sometimes that man need a good verbal kicking. He got things back on track though by telling Tony and Bruce, "you have only 2 more days after today to get together a workable defense against that substance. I believe it will be used again and most likely on a larger scale. Get JARVIS to start boosting your own systems and then perhaps we can make something that will strengthen Caps shield as well", Nick told Tony.

Since it did not seem like Clint was going to move them on Nick decided to put an end to this meeting."Alright let these gentlemen get back to work". "You two can go and have some recreation time or something", Nick told Clint and Will.

"That sounds good, "I'll show you my recreation area", Clint remarked, taking Will's arm and dragging him off.

They were about 500 metres down the corridor before Clint asked. "What was that about with Tony Will. You were lucky you didn't get a fist in your face. " Yeah well I have met a few bad guys that were sold weapons by Tony Stark. Sometimes it just seems his change of sides was a bit sudden. He has this arrogant attitude toward the rest of us and it could just spiral out of control one day", Will stated. "Plus", he added, then stopped. "Plus what Will", Clint pressed. He could sense that Will had been honest with him so far. But there was still more and by Will's expression it was not good. "I'll tell you later", Will replied. Clint gave him another stare then kept on walking. Will fell in by his side.

They were nearly back to the room Clint used as his practice range when Lila Craddock intercepted them. "Ah heres another important person you should meet", Clint told Will. 'This is Lila she is the psychologist that helps me sort out all the shit in my life". Will smiled at the attractive woman. "That was a great introduction Clint", Lila remarked with a half smile. 'It is essentially true though. I have come to offer both of you a chance to talk before this next mission takes place". "She wants to pick our brain and make sure that we are both comfortable with how things are going to go", Clint explained.

Will looked at the young woman, she was not in the least bit intimidating and he guessed that was why she'd been sent. "I don't know how things are going to go yet", he told Lila. "They will not brief me until the last moment", he gazed briefly at Clint. Lila guessed the others did not want Will and Clint discussing the plans in case they decided to alter the plan themselves. "Still there are things you may want to talk about", Lila pressed. 'Just know that I am available day or night for one or both of you". 'Thanks Lila, I do appreciate that. But at the moment Will and I want to make the most of the time we have together", Clint replied. Lila looked over at Will, "that's right ", he affirmed. "That's fine", Lila replied. "Prehaps we can talk once the mission is underway", she said to Clint. She was sure he had to be upset over being left out of the mission,though neither of them seemed to be particularly angry or upset at the moment. That could be a little worrisome as it may indicate that Fury and Gideon Killians fear that the two may plan something on their own was correct. She knew though that the two of them were being watched and their conversations monitored. So she doubted they would get away with whatever they had in mind.

Leaving them go on their way Lila sighed as she went back to her office. Things were not getting any easier for Clint Barton.

Clint opened a door and pulled Will inside. Will looked over the bows and array of arrows decorating the walls. "Is this where you spend your down time Clint. It looks like things have not changed all that much", he remarked. "No, I still practice for a few hours every day and I don't usually miss my targets. SHIELD has modified my bow and arrows though".He sounded like an excited school boy as he showed Will what they did. Will had this smile on his face. "This really is like old times Clint", he remarked as he studied one of the exploding arrows. "I am sure you have a lot of stories to share. "There's how you joined SHIELD and of course telling me all about Natasha.",Will teased. Clint smiled at him, "we will have story time about me later". "For now lets go and get some food, I am starving". Clint led him out of the recreation area and down the corridor again.

That evening Will sat in his bed and listened to Clint tell him about meeting Natasha Romonoff. He could feel his strength returning now. Even his arm had mostly stopped throbbing when he moved his fingers. Although he was focused on CLints words part of his mind was thinking ahead to the moment when he would be taken away from Clint again.

Nick Fury was listening to every word that Will and Clint said to each other and monitoring every interaction. So far there were no indications that the two of them were going to go off together.

There were only two more days to get through before they would initate his plan. Will would be taken out of here with the Avengers and IMF as escorts. He was waiting until the last moment to brief Agent Brandt so he could not discuss the plans with Clint. Things were all going to go according to plan, he was sure that SHIELD defenses could counter anything Clint Barton or Will Brandt might think up.

The second day progressed nearly the same as the first. Neither the Avengers or the IMF team saw much of Will or Clint. They spent most of their time just relaxing and chatting. There was a easy relationship between the two of them that made it seem like they had never been apart.

That night Clint told Will about joining the Avengers then they shared a hot chocolate together just for a nostalgic moment.

Nick Fury was so busy finalizing the plan on the third morning he barely noticed that it had got to ten oclock in the morning without seeing Will or Clint. According to the monitors in their room both of them looked to still be asleep. That was unusual as both agents had got up early on the other mornings so they could have the maximum time together. They had though been chatting until almost 1 am, so perhaps they were just tired. He'd give them another 30 minutes before he asked the medical staff to go and awaken them.

It was only 10 minutes later though that a panicked doctor told him, "sir there is a problem in Barton and Brandts room". Fury looked at the screen again, he could not see any problem, both agents looked to be still asleep. "What is the problem", he asked. "Sir I am in the room now ", the doctor began. Those words make Fury's stomach lurch, on the screen there was no sign of a third person in the room. Fury hit his fist against the screen, which did not help. "What is happening", he asked in a voice that seemed to have gone up a register. A horrible sense of foreboding was hanging over him. "Sir, it looks like Agent Barton has been drugged, Agent Brandt is gone".

"Shit", Fury got the word out through clenched teeth. All of them had be waiting for Clint and Will to plan something together. But it looked like Will Brandt had plans of his own. He discounted the fact someone had taken Brandt. He knew it would not be easy to get into this secure SHIELD base. But then it should not have been easy to get out. But perhaps Will Brandt had done exactly the same thing Clint had when he'd been in the IMF base, simply taken his brothers place and walked out the door.

Maybe he should have suspected that there was going to be a problem when Will Brandt had had that argument with Tony Stark. But he like Tony had assumed SHIELD was impenetrable. Will Brandt had just put egg on his face in a major way.

Without to much further thought Nick Fury pushed the alert button. They had to find the agent as quickly as possible.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21- eye of the storm

The first thing Mr Fields had done once he had escaped from SHIELD captivity was find a way to contact more HYDRA colleagues. Although he was confident in his own abilities extra people to distract SHIELD operatives were always useful. It would also be a way to get his hands on more of that substance. He had used the last little bit on the plane. Of course he had been thoroughly searched but they had missed the tiny canister hidden under one of his fingernails. He had simply lifted the nail using a small sliver of wire on the plane . The substance had chewed a hole through the tough surface of the plane in seconds. It had been very useful that the plane had parachutes stored in his section. While the pilot was still battling the loss of altitude caused by decompression he had jumped out.

As he had drifted down he had seen the plane lose its battle to stay in the air. The substance would have kept on eating through its metal until there was nothing left to consume. He did not think about the pilots fate for more than one second.

His target remained the same William Brandt. He guessed the agent was now with SHIELD. That would only prove the slightest complication. He had people watching the SHIELD base ready to alert him when Brandt came out. Of course he would be heavily guarded and a battle would ensue. He had ways to get the upper hand quickly. his plans to let others deal with The Avengers had faded away . Now he wanted to kill them himself using methods that would show the world that HYDRA was in control again and was to be feared. The substance would prove fatal when injected into any human or not human host. He intended to use it on The Avengers. It would kill them efficiently and rather painfully. There was no cure to the substance and he could imagine the mental torture SHIELD would got through as they tried and failed to save their agents. He smiled, it was a fitting end.

Moving his way rapidly through a line of trees, Fields scanned his location. He had chosen the moment to initiate his plan carefully. There was no point jumping out of the plane over water or in the middle of a highly populated area, his enemies would track him too quickly. This forested area , a couple of hundred miles from the SHIELD base had been the perfect choice.

Hearing the slight hum of an engine Fields waited. Soon a trail bike pulled to a stop amongst the trees ahead of him. The leather suited man climbed off and waited. Fields made his way out of the trees to the other man. He watched as the man took off his helmet and snared, "so far your plan is not working so well, you got captured and have failed to bring us the location of the hidden research laboratory. Maybe your usefulness is at an end", the man stated. Since he was not pointing a weapon or anything else at him, Fields did not take the taunt seriously. If HYDRA had planned to kill him then he would not be standing here now. "Shut up", he told the other man. "Lets just focus on our objective".

The man on the motorcycle did not drop his gaze. He desperately wanted to rise in the ranks of HYRDA, but this man was standing in his way. Why did their leader tolerate his mistakes. He would simply put an end to the man . But without the order being given, he would also be eliminated. Perhaps if he waited longer this man would make a mistake so big that there would be only one type of forgiveness, a quick death. Putting his thoughts aside, he stretched himself to his full height and waited.

Fields knew that the man in front of him wanted him dead. He had seen it in the gaze of too many people to have any doubt. Of course if it had been anyone else they would have suffered for thinking that thought. But this man was one of the favourites of their leader, so he could for now do nothing. Perhaps he would simply place him at the head of any assault. He tried hard not to smile about that thought.

"Have you brought me my supplies and the information I requested", Fields asked his associate . "Yes, here's a new cell phone". I can also tell you that there is no movement at the SHIELD base", Cory Fine replied. "They will be thinking up a plan involving all of the Avengers, there is no doubt about that. We must be ready to act", Fields replied calmly

"We will be", Cory told him firmly. Activating the phone Field's ran through a few checks. He noticed something important straight away." We are now getting a tracking signal for William Brandts location again", he stated. Cory looked at the little on blip Field's phone. He knew that had not been there before. "It's obvious it's a trap Fields", he muttered. Fields said nothing for now, checking the remaining information that was coming through. "Maybe it is not a trap", he stated a few minutes later," our man on the inside reports that the base is on high alert. It seems like Brandt has gone off alone."

Cory shook his head, was this man really that gullible. "Yeah and the others are just waiting for us to go after Brandt. This is so obviously a trap that you'd have to be stupid not to see that".

Fields reacted by throwing a heavy punch at the younger man. Cory wobbled on his feet but didn't fall. He did not bother to retaliate,if Fields really wanted to make the mistake of walking into a trap then he should not care. He had to make sure though that the man didn't place him in the firing line.

"Theres a lot you don't know about Brand"t, Fields replied fiercely. "We have history between us. I am the one responsible for the death of both of his parents. He would feel that deeply and passionately . His desire to put and end to me would be enough to make him act irrationally. I do realize that I have to consider the fact that the others would put a stop to any attempt to escape from SHIELD."

Fields paused, he was getting tired of this and ached to end it . He was convinced William Brandt felt the same. Explaining everything to the idiot in front of him was just wasting time. But if he did not do that the man may just decide to kill him and not worry about the consequences. So he continued slowly and clearly his tone calm and seemingly unbothered by the other mans taunts. "Brandt had the stealth device imbedded in his body somewhere. But it does not mean it could not have been discovered. Once you have the device it is possible to change the frequency. That has not happened which could mean that it is a trap and Clint Barton will waiting for us. It would be the logical play to try and pass off one twin as the other. Our inside man will give us confirmation of that". Fields noted the blip was moving further away from he SHIELD base. In fact it was now only a few miles from their location. Soon he would know whether it was Brandt waiting to finally settle the account for years of running and hiding.

Xxxxxx

SHIELD BASE

He's what", Ethan had not thought that his voice could sound squeaky and high pitched like Benji's did on occasion. "Gone", Nick Fury repeated, studying the utter shock on this mans face. So he had not been part of any plan then. That went for at least most of the other IMF team as well as their expressions mirrored Hunt's. As for their boss, his face was impassive, thoughtful. Fury filed that information away for now.

"Are we sure", Ethan asked as his voice steadied. He found it difficult to grasp the fact that Will would go off alone. He had heard the guilt in Wills voice over disobeying his orders on the mission to stop Baxter. Sometimes the vulnerable ,unsure agent he had met during ghost protocol resurfuraced. He would not have expected Will would have the confidence to go on a solo mission.

"Not entirely ", Nick Fury responded to Ethans question firmly. "We do know that we have one of them, and it is most likely Clint. But we will need verification of that fact. Despite being monitored I do not think we can say with 100 percent certainty that they have not traded places."

"How would Will get out of the base", Benji asked. He doesn't have high grade technical skills ".

"Yes well that is a leading question, isn't it Agent Dunn", Nick Fury muttered. "He could have had help", his eye inadvertently slid to Gideon Killian.

The IMF secretary folded his arms across his middle. He could hear the accusation clearly. Of course Fury thought he might try something to secure all the research for IMF alone. He could not say that the thought had not crossed his mind. But he could say with firm emphasis, "this was not down to me Fury. I do admit that I am not that surprised by Will's actions. He had a long history to settle, that can be a powerful motive". It seems that it is too easy to point fingers, I am not that type. I want to settle this as well so lets get on with it".

Fury mentally slapped himself ,what Killian said was right. Why was it so easy to begin finger pointing. It had always been like that since he started the Avengers initiative. He had felt like he was sitting on a dormant volcano awaiting the moment when it would explode underneath him with an intense fiery doom that would incinerate everything in its path. That feeling had not lessened. He had to get himself back on track. "Alright, lets suit up and get ready to go", there now saying that felt really good. Stuff all those watching and waiting for the Avengers to fall, they were going to make a difference no matter what.

"I hope I can suit up as well", the words were said firmly and with passion. They all turned to see the supposed Clint Barton standing in the doorway. How long he'd been there they could not say. Fury eyed him. He was he noted wearing a short sleeved t shirt meaning both his arms were exposed. There was no sign of the sutured scar left behind from removing the stealth device. That meant a shift in the direction of ,this is definitely Clint. Though there were ways to conceal a scar . They could give him a DNA test but there was the slightest possibility Clint and Will could have planned this and have found a way to prepare for that possibility. There was only one certain way left.

Okay so if this was Will then he was about to get discovered. "Okay Clint I agree that you have reason to go. HYDRA is probably going to know fairly quickly that Brandt is on the loose. They will in likelihood not try to remove you from our group and concentrate fully on Brandt". "But before I give my final clearance you need to go through training course A. If you pass that, then you can suit up with the rest of the Avengers", Fury stated. He watched the face of the man in front of them. Was there a flicker of uncertainty, that proved nothing as well. Clint had failed the course not that long ago. Will would not have the skill to get past the first part using a bow and arrow. If this was him then he was doing a superb acting job.

"Fine, I'll get my things", Clint maybe Will replied steadily as he turned to go. Fury smiled to himself, if this was Will and he planned to sneak off before getting down to the practice area then he was about to get a surprise. "Natasha, go with him", Fury instructed. He watched again, noting there was no discernible surprise from ClintWill. His certainty that this was indeed Clint was rising. They would soon know for sure though.

Natasha walked close to ClintWill looking over him with a highly trained perceptive gaze. Suddenly Clintwill stopped and turned toward her. His blue eyed gaze focused upon her with a burning intensity. There were no words coming from his mouth just a look. She found her hand lifting to touch across his face gently, fingers running along his jaw line and up to cross his lips. It was a highly intimate gesture that would have scared Will Brandt off. This man stood firm, reaching up to hold her fingers softly. "Lets just get this over Tasha", Clint said. Natasha was convinced this was Clint and nodded. She could not help a teasing moment, "oh come on Clint, we could have gone somewhere I could have made sure it was you with a little examination". The man beside her grinned widely, "maybe some other time Tash, after I get my delinquent brother and slap him for being a frigging idiot", there was a sliver of a deep hurt in his voice that made Tasha lock her lips with his. The kiss lasted barely a minute but it was enough for now. She watched as he moved away from her and into the small weapons locker to suit up.

"Clint's on the training ground now", Natasha reported. She sounded happy and Fury guessed that she was convinced this was Clint. He would not call of the test though, because maybe maybe they might expect him to do that. It was amazing how paranoid his thoughts were getting. This was the danger in knowing there were two highly trained identical twins, you could think up all sorts of ways for them to exploit that fact.

The testing ground came up on the monitors around them and they all turned to watch as the archer stepped out. Fury was well aware of the fact most of the base was watching. If he was going to fail now and prove that he was Will, it was going to be to a large audience. It would also lead to him being restrained. Fury was sure the IMF team may protest that part but he do not care.

Ethan could feel this knot in the base of his stomach. He was sure that it had to be Clint standing there all dressed in black with a bow in his hands and a quiver full of arrows at his back. Beside him Benji was smiling, "he looks oddly out of place", he muttered. "How can a guy with arrows win over a semi automatic weapon, or any weapon for that matter."

The light turned green on the practice ground and those around them all stopped to watch. "Ooh wow", came sliding out of Benji Dunns mouth at what was going on. Ethan had never seen anything like this. On the training ground multiple enemies were being generated by the computer and they all had very powerful weapons. These foes started firing at a speed he did not think would be possible for an actual human gunman. It was a terrifying spectacle, even for someone with a long history in the covert spy field. Most IMF agents would have been killed within seconds Ethan reflected soberly. "Did you boost the level up or something", Steve Rogers muttered as he came to stand behind them. "Yes, but Clint could handle it", Fury told him calmly. "Will would find it impossible.""If one of them hits him the effect will be enough to knock him out for a couple of hours". That will save me the trouble",he growled. Ethan had the sense not to say anything in response to that, he could tell Fury was, well, furious.

Gideon Killian watched in silence. IMF did not have a training ground like this. But then SHIELD agents had talents that others did not, so maybe it was appropriate. As he watched the enemies were being mown down with a stunning prescion. Barton could fire multiple arrows from his bow with a speed that was astounding. He could see Nick Fury beginning to smile as the death count on the enemies side rose higher. Clint Barton was a killing machine and it was almost little frightening.

"That's Clint", everyone said firmly. "Indeed there is no way that it could be Will", Fury acknowledged. "It looks like Barton is back to top form. "

"Okay so now we know we have Barton, we can start looking for Will. But the question is where to begin, does he know anyone in Hawaii", Fury asked Ethan.

"Not to my knowledge" Ethan muttered. He sighed heavily, "I have no idea what he thinks he is doing". That man from the island is going to go after him".

"That is the whole idea, I believe. Will told me that the man from the island was responsible for the deaths of his parents. I would think that revenge is a powerful enough motive. As for knowing someone here, well Will doesn't but I do", Clint Barton told them as he came up behind them.

He was slightly out of breath but that was not surprising . "We have been talking about all sorts of things", Clint told him. " I was telling him everything from finding aout about his existence to slipping out of Lila's home and sneaking to Hawaii .He wanted to know how I did that without SHIELD finding out and I told him". His eyes shifted slightly to Fury's as he eyed how mad his boss was going to be. Indeed Fury's face was set as he muttered, "One of your off book contacts huh Clint. 'Yes he flew me here from the mainland. Will can go to him to get weapons and other supplies". He owes me several favours so would not hesitate to help."Why would you have a contact outside SHIELD that held weapons for you", Steve asked."You have everything you need right here Clint". "In case he ever wants out of SHIELD, right Clint", Fury suggested bleakly. He had this slightly wounded tone in his voice. "Yeah well there was a time when it was difficult and that's when I made plans." Can we just go after Will and leave the chit chat for later", Clint demanded fiercely.

He sounded really angry . "Well your friend, is only one possibility Brandt may have other options", Fury muttered. "Yeah and he's broadcasting them", Tony remarked sourly as he joined them. He pushed a button on a nearby console and brought up a map. Upon it was a flashing dot. "That is the signal from the device that was implanted in Brandts arm. That device is still in my laboratory. However JARVIS reports that all the files were scanned just a short time ago. The frequency the device is operating at was amongst the data. Brandt has a stolen cell phones GPS on the same frequency. He is basically asking that man to come and get him". Sorry Clint but your brother seems to have a death wish."

Clint went a little pale and Ethan found himself putting his arm out to support him. "You okay", he asked. Clint just looked at him sourly, "my own brother drugged me and has now run off to meet some knife wielding manic Ethan, I am so not okay". Ethan could not help the snort of laughter that escaped out of his lips. The whole room of eyes turned to glare. "Sorry, it just sounded like something Will would say",Ethan apologized. "But disobeying orders is not so out of character for Brandt". He's obviously not thinking clearly. "

"Maybe he thought about it more than you realize",Gideon Killian interrupted. "Will knows that we know the frequency that can track his location, he's not trying to hide from us." I also doubt the signal is a decoy to lure both sides away. That would just drag things out and put him back in the position of running again. He wants to end this as much as we do".

Ethan suddenly understood, 'he's setting the guy up for us, luring him out by acting as bait. It is not something we would ever have approved and he knows that. It's still bloody dangerous though"

"Yeah so can we stop talking and get moving", Clint pleaded again."The transportation is ready to leave, "Fury informed them. End this everyone". He watched as without further conversation, the IMF team and The Avengers formed into one deadly mass and ran in the direction of the transportation bay.

xxxxxx

"Clint are you alright", the man was looking over him seriously with appraising eyes. He could not say everything was alright because it would be obvious it was not. He had a whole SHIELD base looking for him as well as HYDRA. For now he had to avoid both sides. "Not so much, he replied. "I need access to the locker". The man nodded, "has it come to that my friend", he sighed," one day I knew it would all catch up with you. Do you need help, I can arrange to have some people meet you". They don't have your type of skills, but they are efficient enough with a gun."

He shook his head, "no thank, this is something you should stay away from. I will have help coming shortly". The other man shrugged, "I guess you know what you are doing Clint". The man moved over to the edge of the small private airstrip and opened the door of a large metal shed.

Inside the place was filled with weapons. He stepped in, only looking for one particular type of weapon.

Taking up the bow and several different types of arrows in his hands, he got ready to move. "Are you sure that's all you need Clint", the man behind him asked. "Yes, thanks', he replied. He could feel those eyes upon him again. 'You seem different Clint", the man stated. Now his heart was hammering hard, he could not afford to get discovered this quickly. "Things are bad at the moment, but don't worry on my account. It will be over with soon enough", he replied with a steady voice.

The man nodded, "Alright, I'll mind my own business. "Good Luck Clint", he replied.

He shook the mans hand then moved away and climbed onto a nearby motorbike. As he drove away ,he felt the shakes returning. The plan in his mind was fixed ,certain but the outcome was not. He could die doing this and if he did it would alone without his brother. For a moment he was tempted to stop and turn around, to go back to SHIELD. Then resolve stiffened , he had to do this this. Stopping for a moment he lifted out his cell phone, pushing a button,the tracking signal. He had stopped it during the time he had visited the private airbase. Though on the screen the enemiy would not have noticed any change. He would not involve a private citizen in the fight and had ensured his contacts safety. Now he would find a quiet place and wait until HYDRA came to get him.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22- Live bait

SHIELD BASE

It had only been minutes after the IMF and SHIELD team had left before Nick Fury turned to Lila Craddock and requested, "I'd like you to go over the recordings of Clint and Will's interactions with me".

Lila frowned at him, she could not figure out what was going through his mind. "Are we looking for anything in particular", she asked. Fury shook his head, "with HYDRA involved in this I just feel like I need to double check everything. Will Brandt should not have been able to get out of the base. It is possible someone did help him." Lila Craddock nodded soberly she had the same feeling as when Clint had sneaked out of her home, they were missing something important .Sitting beside Nick Fury they began to watch the playback of the data collected over the last two days.

Xxxxxxx

In the back of a SHIELD transport heading to retrieve his brother Clint Barton saw the others looking speculatively at him. The tracking signal coming from Will's phone had danced around erratically seemingly having no fixed destination in mind. It was just like he was aimlessly running and trying to tire his followers. Now it was holding steady at a location that seemed to be too well thought out to be just chance. It also seemed more than coincidence that once the team had started to head for the private airstrip to meet up with Clint's contact that the signal had steadied in a totally different location. That location would only be a matter of minutes away in this super fast SHIELD van.

Of course they knew the contact could have given Will details on the area. Because he was a smuggler he was most likely adept at finding hiding places for his goods. So he was the first choice for the one to blame for Will's selection of a hiding place.

The fact he had been drugged and acted angry and uncertain kept certainty of complicity away, though some suspicion still remained. He was Will's brother and they'd had two days together to plan something. Though nobody had witnessed them working together on anything other than getting to know his friends and colleagues. The suspicion was fine with him. They were after all quite correct in their feelings, all of this was part of a plan and this team had no idea what was about to happen.

He was not going to tell them until it was too late. Even his nerves worked well for the situation as he could attribute that to Will being missing. But he had to admit that he was scared. Anything could go wrong . He had agreed to see this through though and he vowed not to fail his brother. Glancing at his watch Clint saw he did not have too long to wait until he made his move.

In the front of the transport Steve Rogers was putting his own plan into action. Brandt had holed up in one of the abandoned bunkers left over from the war. They made secure fortified hiding places and were usually situated in locations that gave them a clear line of sight of the surrounding land. Though Brandt would not be able to hide out in the bunker forever he could certainly wait out an assault. But beyond that what was actually the mans plan. Was Clint right in thinking he was going to have an old style shoot out with the man from the island. He doubted that a HYDRA operative would come alone unless Brandt used some type of incentive. That thought worried him. "Alright I am going to send Tony over the area to check for any hostiles", he decided. Worry was pointless, they had to act.

Steve gave Clint a quick glance. His colleague seemed to be intensely fascinated by the floor at the moment. Clint was usually a solitary man who was hard to know but even this was a little too withdrawn for the archer. Moving a little closer Steve could see that Clint was a little pale. Perhaps there had been some affects from being drugged and Clint was still shaking them off. They had not been enough to slow his performance on the training ground though so he should not be concerned. Yet he was. Tony's voice drew his eyes away from Clint and his mind refocused on the mission.

"I have enhanced the shields on the suit . They should now give about 90 percent protection from the substance." I could not boost them further than that. Eventually the substance will compromise the suit, but it will take at least a couple of hours under heavy attack for that to happen. We should plan to finish off the enemy before then", Tony told them.

"Good, I doubt we will need longer than that", Steve remarked. He hoped this would be a short battle.

"Instead of splitting up like we did on the island we will all group together and use our combined strength to hold off any assault" ,Steve continued . He watched as Tony ,now completely suited up blasted out of the transport. Realizing Clint was speaking he turned back to his colleague, "I will take a high viewpoint, and pick off anyone coming near", Clint told them.

"As long as you stay in the view of the team", Steve told Clint. "We all know you want to go to Will, but we need to know where you are. The enemy will be focused on Will but may just redirect their focus if they had the opportunity to take you captive. " That's fine Steve, the trees are tall ,they will be effective enough as a viewpoint", Clint replied evenly. He almost sounded a little too compliant Steve reflected. But then maybe he did not want to do anything that would put Will at extra risk, and running off alone would certainly do that.

Clint stretched, making it look like just a natural movement. He made sure he caught the time on the dial. He had perhaps half an hour at the most before he acted out his own part in Will and his plan. Standing up he stretched out his full body making that also look completely normal. Everyone around him was too busy to pay full attention to him and that would work to his advantage when the time came. He took that back though when ne noticed Ethan Hunt move away from an IMF huddle and come closer. Ethan could be the one to end his and Will's plans if he got a little too observant. But Clint could not afford to show nerves on his face. He just waited for the IMF agent to tell him what was on his mind.

Ethan too felt off balance. This was the second mission where Clint and not Will had been part of the team. It was becoming almost natural and he was accepting the archer as the more reliable of the two. That was going to be a problem for the future. After witnessing some of Clint's difficulties with SHIELD there was a possibility IMF could successfully poach the archer. Will would most likely go back to being an analyst and that would make everything work out well. Or would it. Will would feel angry and sullen about being pulled from the team.

Sliding closer to Clint Ethan told him, "I know how you feel Clint, Will has been unpredictable lately. I feel almost like I know you better, even though we only met a short time ago".

That made the archer smile slightly, yet his eyes still looked sad. "He told me about disobeying your orders not to go after the briefcase on your mission to stop Baxters group. "Will said it was the logical play and something you would have done yourself without hesitation. He said you didn't let him make that play because..", Clint broke off looking a little warily at Ethan, did he really want to tell him all of what had been said. "Keep going", Ethan said evenly . Somehow he had the strangest feeling what Clint was going to tell him. "You have gotten too close to your team, too caring over their welfare. In situations of high danger your prefer to revert to your old habits and do things yourself. Will didn't say it like he thought it was a weakness Ethan, he was awed over the fact you cared about him . You have a heart Ethan Hunt, it makes you a good man, but sometimes he might not be so helpful in being a good agent." Clint took a breath looking serious, "Will is doing this for the same reason, he cares about us, he does not want to have our deaths or even injuries on his conscience. " Don't judge him for that, I certainly don't, though naturally I am still going to smack him in the face a few times", Clint paused and wet his lips, continuing mught just give Ethan a few too many clues but he also needed to get this part of his chest. "He's been through a lot over the years Ethan, and has had time to think about what he'd do if the past ever caught up with him. You can be certain he has a plan ,sure he's not sharing but I believe there is a very good reason for that. I may have only just come back into his life but I know enough to say with confidence that I trust him, perhaps all you need to do is feel the same".

Ethan found himself nodding, what Clint had said was totally correct, he had become used to Will, Jane and Benji as part of his team, he no longer wanted to be the lone wolf agent of the past. Subconsciously he had perhaps done things to ensure his team survived intact. If he was going to continue with them, then he would have to rethink his strategies. What Clint had said about trust had also impacted deeply, yes he did trust Will and perhaps all that was happening was that Will was back to being the confident agent he had been before Croatia. He was now becoming a little too much like him, planning crazy schemes and not telling everyone the full picture. Maybe he should smack himself firmly.

As though he knew what was on Ethans mind, Clint patted his shoulder , "I can smack you later as well if you want, just to get the sentiment out", he teased. Ethan found himself laughing again, "just maybe I might let you", he said with a grin. He moved away, then looking back over his shoulder at Clint, "be care…, " he broke off, now Clint was laughing at him, "see sentiment again Hunt, you have to watch that".

He waited until Ethan had moved out of earshot before whispering, "be careful too ". A couple of minutes later the transport stopped and they all made their way to their assigned positions. Clint stopped under the large tree and pulled the cellphone he had hidden in his sock out. It was time to get their own plan underway.

Xxxxxxx

A few miles away Mr Fields studied the data coming through from the HYDRA recon team. "At the moment there is only one heat signature in the seems like Brandt has chosen the most secure location he can. There are signs of a fast moving transport heading in this direction and it is likely that is the SHIELD retrieval team". At their current speed they will be within target range within the next twenty minutes. We can send the HYDRA reinforcements to engage them while you and I secure Agent William Brandt", Fields reported. He made it sound easy, like they could just walk up and grab Brandt.

It was not going to be that easy, the man was in likelihood armed and had high enough ground to see them coming. This was going to be the moment that Fields probably put him straight in the firing line. Cory thought about shooting him and then finishing the plan himself. He would have to do it quickly or else Fields would retaliate. The man was looking at him in a way that told him he expected an attack. Cory felt chills come over him, Fields was deadly . He would have to wait until the man was unawares before acting. Hearing a slight breath of expressed air Cory noted Fields looking at his phone. "There is another signal piggybacking of the tracker, it just gave me a cell phone number. Will Brandt wants to chat", Fields declared. He turned his gaze fully onto Cory, "if you want me dead then your going to have to be man enough to take me on now. Otherwise go back to your corner. I am too busy to want to keep looking over my shoulder", he folded his arms and stared the younger man down.

Cory only thought about it for 2 seconds, he knew enough about Fields history to know he'd never win in a fair fight. He pushed down his instincts . Fields smirked, then began to dial the number, perhaps Will Brandt was going to make it easy and go for a one on one confrontation. He was probably much like this young HYDRA agent, over confident that his training would be enough. Both of them would be wrong and eventually both of them would die. It would be quick for Cory, but William Brandts death would only come after he'd worked him over with the knife first. He was looking forward to that.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

SHIELD base

Fury sighed,so far they had watched a lot of footage and it had not told them a lot. It seemed like Will and Clint were just chatting about old times. Right now the footage showed them walking down a corridor while talking about the Avengers. Lila straightened in her seat, they were heading for the back door. This was the small side entrance that could be used in an emergency to flee the base. It was only manned by one guard. Will and Clint were laughing with that guard about types of Pizza.

"Now they are ordering pizza and Clint is suggesting that he go out and pick it up", Lila remarked, "I would say that was how Will got out, he took Clint's place for pizza collection, simple yet effective".

"Yeah well it was too damn simple", Fury growled. 'But at least I am confident nothing I amiss".

Lila took a breath and turned to her boss, "after watching all this I am not too sure that is true director"

Now Fury turned to her ,his expression startled, they had both seen the same tapes and he had not picked up anything, so what did she mean. "Enlighten me", he hinted.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tony scanned the ground below him, a heavy forested area that made visual identification of targets difficult. He could not detect any heat signatures in this area. If HYDRA was present they had found a way to avoid detection. He knew that it was possible. That meant of course that they would have no idea how many agents would attack them. That made him feel slightly nervous. Turning his flight slightly Tony flew over the hill were Agent Brandt was holed up. He could not see any visual sign of the agent, though his scan clearly showed one heat signature present. He could not so easily hide his heat signature, though the bunker did offer a secure location in other ways. Even using something like sleep gas would not be effective as Brandt could simply seal himself in the bunker and wait until it dissipated. It all still seemed really stupid though, Brandt was a former analyst and thus should be more adept at planning than this. Why did that give him the feeling he was missing something.

He was about to change flight again and scan the other side of the hill when JARVIS informed him,"Sir, I am picking up a signal coming from the bunker. "It is piggybacking off the tracking signal, indicating it is coming from the phone that Brandt has in his procession. The signal is short range, directed at a point not to far from here".If you give me a few moments I can connect our systems to the signal."

Tony waited and soon Brandts voice could be heard, after a few moments of listening it became obvious he was talking to the enemy.

Benji heard that and sighed, "I knew I should never have shown Will how to do that". Luther , who was back in the IMF transport coordinating the technical aspects, made sure the conversation was channeled through the ear pieces .

"Hello I think you know who this is", Brandt voice was even, controlled. "Yes, I do, William Brandt. We did not get much time to chat earilier", Fields replied. "No ,you were going to use your knife instead of your mouth. I remember you love to do that. That was not the only thing that I can recall. Its been a long journey for the two of us, Byron Ink". We met when I was just an little kid, before the surgery, you were my dads friend, or at least you pretended to be.."

Luther was quickly running the name Byron Ink through ever known data base.

Field's aka Byron Ink was feeling cold, Brandt did have an excellent memory. With his real name now broadcast, he was feeling exposed, like raw nerve. Cory was eyeing him, obviously seeing him more and more like a liability. He needed to get the upper hand back, "so you remember , well done Brandt. I did think years would have a blurring effect on your recall. But it does not matter, you know what I want."

"Yes, the research". I am not just going to give it to you Ink", Brandt declared. "Back on the island I was not in the position to give you much trouble, now I am. If you want me and the research, you are going to have to come and get it, and don't think I am not prepared.I have had years to think about what I'd do if I ever had the opportunity to strike back". You are just a big coward with a knife who works for an agency that is itself inept and weak. They only want the research to stop themselves feeling small. The world is laughing at HYDRA and I am laughing too", the taunt was like a hard slap on the face.

"What is he doing", Bruce muttered as he listened, "he could just call Ink out instead it sounds like he's trying to get all of them to come for him." Natasha swallowed, "could he be planning to sacrifice himself and take HYDRA with him. It would explain why he did not tell Clint what he was doing." Hearing their conversation Benji and Jane looked concerned they knew Will well enough to know he may just do what the Black Widow suggested. Ethan though was not entirely sure, "he's only just got Clint back in his life, surely he would not make such a rash move, not when there were other alternatives. " He must have some plan".

Above them Tony circled, hoping Brandt was going to come out of the bunker. He would shoot a sleeper dart at him and end this quickly. But the heat signature was not moving, Brandt may be angry, but he was not stupid. JARVIS can I blast open the bunker and go and get the idiot", he asked. There was a moments silence while his suggestion was being calculated. JARVIS possessed all the information about the bunker and could assess its weaknesses. "There are several large military grade doors between you and the signal. This place was designed to resist persistent aerial attacks. Brandt had chosen his hiding place within the bunker well. We would use up all the power just blasting through two of those doors. It would be better to use our defenses upon the enemy", JARVIS concluded. Tony had to agree with that, unfortunately. He began to think of other ways he could possibly get to the agent, though Brandt had not made it easy. That thought made him agree with Ethan Hunt, Will Brandt did have a plan. He could not take on HYDRA all alone so he must have some help. That made him wonder again about Clint. The archer had managed to go from not being involved in this mission to active status and the catalyst had been Will's escape. Now he was only minutes from his brother. Tony decided he should suggest pulling Clint off the mission now

He was about to make the suggestion when JARVIS interrupted, "Sir, I am picking up another signal directed at Brandt's location, it is very low wave, bearly detectable but I have boosted it enough to ascertain its location. Someone within our team is also on their phone having a conversation with Brandt'. Tony swore, he did not think he needed to ask who that person was…. Clint was going to have a lot of questions to answer. "Take Clint in custody, we need to talk to him now", Steve requested firmly, he too had followed Tony's train of thought. Clint was about to find that messing with his plan was not very wise.

Ethan was the closest to Clint's location and quickly ran through the undergrowth while scanning the area. At first he saw nothing, then he caught sight of the glint of sun on glass. He could just make out Clint standing with his back against the largest tree. His fingers were moving rapidly upon the phone. At the moment ,he was not looking his way, so Ethan had the element of surprise.

Without much thought Ethan raised his gun, he was not going to take Clint on in a fist fight, he had learnt before how powerful the other man was. He would simply get him to stand down, tie him up and return him to the transport. Then he could explain what the hell he and Will were up to. "Clint, put the phone down", he requested firmly. The archer jumped slightly, but complied, placing the cell phone face up in the branches of the tree he was standing under. Ethan could clearly see the words, "do it now", on the face of the phone. "Sorry Clint but you need to stop what you are doing and come with me", Ethan growled..

Clint looked over at Ethan, staring down the barrel of the gun, unflinching. Beep, his phone flashed, "Do it now", came up again…In front of him Ethan had straightened his arm, he would not shoot to kill but he would shoot..Unfortunately the agent was about to find out what 'do it now' meant'.

Ethan, have you secured Clint", Luther requested as silence seemed to go on for too long…."Ethan, respond"…..nothing..


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23- power play

Byron Ink could feel the anger pulsing through his being as William Brandt cut the connection . On his phone the tracking signal still flashed, almost taunting him with its unrelenting movement. Beside him Cory was studying his every move, like a panther ready to spring, yet holding back because he was the bigger and more dangerous cat. What Brandt had said cut deeply, many years ago he had paid the price for not finishing the job with Brandt and bringing HYDRA the location of the research laboratory . Now he could finally correct that error, yet delays and taunts lay in his path. Even though he was angry he had to consider his next move, the status of William Brandt had also changed over the years. He was no longer the soft target, a young teen without protection. Now he worked for one of the super spy agencies, the IMF, he'd have to be good to have survived this long as an agent. So he had to consider that the taunting words were a trap, Brandt wanted him to hit the bunker full force, with all his troops. Once inside he wwas sure Brandt had a way to kill everyone. It was sentiment at the driving force of all Brandt did, wanting to keep the HYDRA forces away from the Avengers and IMF teams, his friends and colleagues. Byron did not feel the same about the people he worked with, in fact he did not feel that way about anyone, it was a weakness. Thus he would ignore the taunts, Brandt would pay for them personally later. He did not doubt for one second that this time he could get the information from the agent. It just might take a little longer than it would have years ago.

"Alright, its time to activate the troops Cory. How many have we got", he asked. Now the other man smiled, "I contacted the beta team for this mission, 500 hundred heavily armed men, all carrying weapons enhanced with the substance. HYDRA has finally stabilized the viral type that can be used upon people", Cory actually grimaced, even he did not like using this weapon. The problem with things like this was they could go horribly wrong and affect the wrong people. He took a breath noting Byron was waiting. The man as usual showed no emotion about the use of what was essentially a biological weapon. Starting again with a surprisingly calm voice Cory continued ."It has been mutated again so it can be airborne within a short proximity to the target. The plan is for the troops to place themselves around the SHIELD team. With the buffers blocking their detection they can only be identified through visual means. But it does not matter if they are spotted , once in position they will release the virus into the surrounding area. It will infect anyone it touches. Our own people have protective gear that will enable them to stay clear from infection. Unfortunately the virus will weaken as it spreads out through the area ,so it will not be an effective killer on Iron Man .For assault upon him, we also have automated drones also with enhanced weaponry. We will take out their air support first, Iron Man, then turn our attention to the ground forces, "Cory wound down.

Byron smiled feeling powerful, all the plans of embarrassing SHIELD and making the agency destroy their own had faded away. With HYDRA finally finishing the virus they now could make a very big statement. He scowled as he told Cory," In their arrogance they have only brought a small team of IMF and SHIELD forces, though we do face the Avengers. The main issues there were their enhancements, that is why HYDRA has spent years upon perfecting the substance. We do not just wish to kill normal people. It has been harder to predict what would happen to the Avengers. Our main concern is the Hulk". He noted that Cory shivered when he said the name, typical the man was scared again. He was weak and would be disposed of soon enough. At the moment Cory was still useful. He told him, "Banner will not get a chance to transform as we will enhance the dose given to both him and Thor. Remember we only have to delay them long enough to acquire Brandt. Once they are all infected we will leave it to SHIELD to sort out what happens to them". You can count on the fact all of them will suffer, I have seen the effects of the virus before", Bryon stated with a rather sick smile. He had watched some of the earlier experiments with the virus using human subjects and had to admit they had touched some deep part of him that could still feel terror. His voice did not shake though when he stated," just remember to watch the cross fire, any of our troops who hit themselves with their enhanced weapons will also be affected". Cory would heed those very carefully. It sounded like a full proof plan, capturing Brandt and killing all the Avengers as well as several IMF agents. HYDRA would definitely be talked about after this.

Cory sent forth the orders that would make the HYDRA troops hiding within the dense bush, begin their battle against the enemy forces. He and Byron would head toward the bunker by circling around to another entrance, a small drain, hidden in dense shrubbery. You would not stumble over its location by accident so it was just as well they had good intel on the place. Byron doubted the Avengers force knew about the drain as they did not have any guards in that area.

XXXXx

SHIELD base

"There is still no contact with Ethan Hunt", Killian Gideon reported in a flat tone to Director Fury and Lila Craddock. He had burst in on an intense discussion the two of them were having to give the report on Clint contacting Will. "Clint is not going to seriously injure him", Fury replied firmly. Killian, seemed flustered, "I did not say he would", he replied. This mess is all down to my agent director, Will has obviously gotten his brother to go along with some crazy plan. "What will happen now is just pure speculation". Fury guessed he was embarrassed about having an agent that acted in an unpredictable manner. "This could mean that my theory is correct", Lila ventured. She had known when she presented the theory of what happened based on her observations of the videos , that it all sounded impossible. One huge barrier stood in the way of her being right. "Nothing has changed ", Fury replied steadily, "I think you might have been correct, then they changed their minds". Killian frowned, "what are you talking about", he asked. "Just a theory", Fury replied. "We watched the tapes on the interactions between Will and Clint over the last two days. It could just be viewed as normal, one brother introducing the other to his friends and way of life. Yet…, he broke off. "Anyway its not plausible, so no point talking about it anymore. As for whats happening now, if we can't find Clint and we can't get to Will then we will have to see what unfolds. I would say with 98 percent certainty that both of them are on our side" ."He is feeding us information on the name of the enemy", Killian acknowledged. He too was sure Will was not working for HYDRA, though it still made him anxious about what was on his agents mind. He had a whole lot of hatred for HYDRA boiling below the surface and it could explode into something very dangerous and unpredictable.

"Whatever happens is going to be interesting", Fury concluded. Killian agreed with that.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tony flew over the area still scanning for any communications of signs of life other than their own people, but found none. He also checked the area for Ethan Hunt or Clint, but could not find anything. The dense forest did make it difficult to get an accurate line of sight. He was going to change to using thermal imaging when suddenly every alarm in his suit went off. "Sir, there are numerous flying objects heading this way", JARVIS warned. "There are roughly 500 HYDRA troops, hidden throughout the area, came the next warning. They are wearing protective masks over their faces, that could indicate they will be using some type of gas. Proceed with caution and use the material of your suits to protect your faces", that one was not JARVIS, yet sounded equally as familiar, "Clint, what the heck are you doing", Tony stormed. He got no reply.

Tony swore, he really was going to have a long conversation with the archer after this was over. Clint must have the high ground somewhere above the others heads . He still could not detect him though , but then neither could the enemy .'We hear you", Steve acknowledged as he and others moved more cautiously through the dense forest. Ahead of them Steve spotted some men, all wearing camouflage gear. The men fired at him then weaved away. Steve , Benji , Jane and Bruce followed

Natasha too was swearing, she had run to the area where Clint had supposed to be to find no signs of either him or Hunt. The forest floor looked undisturbed, perhaps sign that whatever had happened it had not involved the two of them having a physical altercation. She felt slightly off balance that Clint had not shared any plans with her. They had been inseparable ever since Clint had brought her into SHIELD. He had at the time been the only one on her side. They knew each others deepest and darkest secrets. Yet now an identical looking man was coming between the two of them. She could no longer be sure of what the future held.

But right now was not the time to think about that, she had to get moving. "Be advised that they could be using the virus. If you are hit you will be infected", came Clint's voice. "Clint", she pleaded, again there was no reply. He was warning them, yet not wanting to chat. Natasha pulled at the suit she was wearing in response. It had been made in just hours and provided protective layer against the virus coming in contact with the skin. It was not going to be effective if they were hit by projectiles. She shivered, this was very dangerous . But danger was always their calling. She had decided to be an assassin a long time ago and there was no turning back.

"I wonder what Clint's done with Ethan", Benji worried. He guessed he had probably tied him up somewhere. He knew Ethan could take care of himself ,so should not worry. That did not stop him wanting to smack Clint Barton firmly, if he could get up the courage to do it.

Hearing gunfire Benji stopped thinking about Ethan, he could not afford to be distracted. Holding his gun firmly he poked his head out from behind a tree. A bullet streaked past, so close he could hear the sound it made. Shaking of the urge to freeze Benji ran on following the others straight toward the gunfire.

Above them Tony swerved as the first drone relentlessly followed him. He fired his laser upon it only to hit enhanced shielding. Those shields just made the thing glow and not explode under his attack. It was going to take a lot of firepower to destroy, and there was more than one. "Sir, I now have a visual on Agent Brandt. He has come from out of the bunker and is now above ground". Jarvis put up a picture of the agent standing there. He was dressed identically to Clint right down to the bows and arrows on his back. 'What is he doing now, if he doesn't have a gun then he's defenseless. The man seems to be a frigging idiot." We cant protect him with those drones on our trail", Tony moaned.

Indeed now the drones were firing and his own enhanced SHIELDs found themselves tested to their fullest limits.

Down below him gunfire rained as the rest of the team engaged with the hostiles around them. The SHIELD , IMF team seemed unaware that the HYDRA troops were forming a particular patterning. The enemy were just using normal weaponry at the moment, until they got into an effective range. Their gunfire could not reach the SHIELD team, it just acted as a bait that drew them closer..Soon they would be in range and it would be too late to run.

Bruce found the bullets flying around him and got ready to transform. He too was wearing a protective covering, though it might be ineffective if he transformed. He had no idea what the virus would do to the Hulk. If they used enough of the substance it could be the thing that finally put an end to his dual existence. Thinking about that did not make him as angry as he expected.

Thor too was feeling what humans would describe as pensive , he remembered feeling out of control on the island, an unfamiliar and unsteadying position for a god. Even he may not be immune from the effects of the virus, so he was using extra caution. The HYDRA troops were closing, so he would be able to take out several of them in one go. They may have 500 troops but it was a fairly puny number when they were facing the Avengers.

"I have eyes on you", The HYDRA troops are circling out to form a ring around all of you", warned Clint. 'Those masks have me worried, if they haven't used the gas yet then it could be they have something else in mind. I have a very bad feeling about this". Despite the warning Thor relaxed somewhat, no matter what the archer was up to he was still definitely on their side. Thor looked out at HYDRA troops who swerved when sighted. They were drawing them closer, even he knew that. Either they were crazy or they did have some new technology they were about to unleash. He knew they would find out the answers soon enough.

Not too far away Brandt stood out almost in the open as though taunting those below. Tony could see him clearly , but could do nothing. He guessed Will was trying to confuse the HYDRA troops by attempting to mascerade as his brother.

Xxxx

"Hydra troops report they have a sighting on Brandt", Cory remarked as he put the image up on his phone. Bryon scowled at the image, quiver, bow and arrows, not very Will like. "He is trying to throw us off the trail by pretending to be Clint", he remarked. "Well Barton is with the SHIELD team, Cory confirmed, Brandt would have no way of knowing about our spy in the midst, thus we already know who is who". Byron nodded, "From up there Brandt can see what is happening below. He knows his taunts have failed, our troops are not moving toward him. So he has to think of another stategy . If he could at least divide our troops it would protect some of his colleagues. He probably has guessed we would use the virus, but of course not that we have an airborne version." He is still trying to protect them. The masquerade is smart play, but a predicable one". We keep heading for the hidden entrance and leave the troops where they are". "Poor Brandt, trying to be so inventive. I feel almost sorry for him", Ink mocked.

"What about this so called hidden entrance. SHIELD must have some intel on the place or Brandt would not be using the bunker as a hideout. How do we know he has not rigged the back door", Cory asked. Byron smiled, "the hidden entrance is not in any data base I know of, its old knowledge that was personally handed down ." There is a good chance SHIELD does not know, but we will naturally proceed with caution". He looked up into the sky as laser fire boomed around them. He could see Iron man banking ,stunting and firing like crazy. Yet still 50 drones littered the sky and all of them only had one target. "He must have enhanced the suit, smart, its still not going to be enough. I would love to see that smart smirk fall of his face when he realizes he has failed to out think HYRDA".It is only a matter of time before his shielding fails." Byron stopped moving and watched the action from his phone. The cameras on the drones gave a dizzing yet spectacular view of the battle above their heads.

Tony was stunting like crazy, trying to throw off at least one of the enhanced drones. It was not working though, they were all firing at him now, with deadly accuracy. Naturally he was firing back, but his efforts had not lessened their numbers at all. "Sir, the drain on the suits shields is incredible, they are have to less than 70 percent. You will not have many hours as originally predicted", JARVIS stated. His scanners were locked onto each drone, testing its defenses. They picked up new information, "I have detected that the weapons systems upon the drones have been coated with the substance, however its structure seems different. Without direct study I cannot say for sure, what has changed. There is a high possibility that they could have further mutated the substance", he warned. "Great, just great, muttered Tony. He could at least be thankful that the drones were only firing upon him and not the others. A grim thought intruded that it might only be a matter of time, before he was rendered useless and the drones turned their attention to the others. For the first time in a while Tony let the possibility of death touch him. It felt scary, an all too familiar feeling of being out of control. "Bank right, Iron brain", the familiar voice of Clint cut through his doubt. He did so.

"There is an arrow ascending out of the trees", JARVIS reported. 'Yeah well Legolas probably has high ground, but if I can't take those things out, his arrows aren't going to be enough". JARVIS had fallen silent as its mind computed possibilities and so forth. It could not really help doing that even though Tony Stark did not like being reminded of the odds. Something seemed a little off though, because some new information was testing his powers of prediction to their limits. How was what he had just seen actually possible. 'JARVIS, are you in there", Tony sounded worried that he had lost contact with the AI. "Yes sir, just trying to compute how that is possible", he remarked. "How what is possible", Tony muttered. Behind him came a boom as the drone exploded. It was a relief and a shock all at the same time. "What happened", Tony asked. "The drone swerved to avoid the first arrow and was hit by a second",JARVis reported. "Smart move Legolas, though I still don't see how even his concussive arrows could have penetrated that drones shields. I must have weakened them enough", Tony decided. It was the only explaination that made sense. "The second arrow was enhanced" , JARVIS reported, "It was not detected as it came from another position." "Ahh , Legolas is moving about like Tarzan, maybe a new nickname is in order", Tony wisecracked. "Sir, there is something you should know..", JARVIS said.

"The drones are being taken out by arrow fire", Cory reported as the camera feed from one of the drones went orange then faded out. "Bloody Barton, his arrows must have penetrated a weak spot, well he can't get all of them", Ink stormed. He had hoped that SHIELD would leave the archer behind ,but obviously that had not happened. Cory looked at the feed coming from his phone. The drones had programming that enabled them to make tactical moves. So far they had out maneuvered and out flown Iron man. It had felt like they would soon have a victory. The thing that had just happened however had even thrown off the mind of the well programmed computer inside the drones, "umm I think we might have a problem", he remarked…

Xxxxx

"Sir, that other arrow", Jarvis remarked ," the trajectory was all wrong for Barton". That is why I could not compute what was happening ".As Tony watched his screens arrows started coming from two different directions. How was that even possible he wondered, what exactly had Barton done to rig that. Then JARVIS told him the explanation that no one had counted upon ,'Sir, Brandt is also firing arrows", even the machine sounded slightly stunned.

"Ink both of them are firing arrows, Brandt and Barton.", Cory remarked. It was an unexpected move and he tried hard not to smirk because of the expression he had just seen come over Byron Inks face. Brandt and Barton had just thrown him a very big curve ball. A very strange sensation came over Bryon Ink then, total disbelief. He had been sure he had known everything about Brandt but now had to take those words back. "Umm, this means that our intel about their identities could be inaccurate, Brandt obviously would not show SHIELD what he was capable of. So now we have the question of which one is Brandt", Cory asked. That of course was yet another problem, because now he had no idea whether they should capture the one in the bunker or the one in the midst of the enemy force.

"Maybe we should just go for both of them again", he growled." If Brandt is the one in the middle of the troops then if you use the virus on him you won't get the location of the laboratory. We cannot risk hitting him. So if you want him, you'll have to switch to using normal weapons. Then we will most likely have to divide our forces so we can hit the bunker. The one in there could be heavily armed. It seems that neither one is the idiot you made them out to be", Cory told him.

No indeed they weren't Ink had to admit. Brandt had keep the knowledge of his abilities quiet enough that nobody had known he and his brothers skills with bows and arrows were identical as well. He must have practiced on the quiet to prepare for his moment. Now there was no way other than an advanced test to tell them apart. It was a brilliant strategy and he ground his teeth together as he ordered the troops, "stand down from using the virus upon the SHIELD force, ordinary weapons only". Of course that meant his troops had not much chance of defeating the Avengers. "Bastard", he said firmly.

He hoped desperately that a mistake might come that would reveal which archer was Brandt. It was probably the only thing that could turn the tide now.

Above them Tony relayed what he was seeing to the others. "Brandt has fired as well, so we have no way of knowing who is who", Steve remarked. "I think that perhaps that was the whole idea", Natasha mused. "This whole plan is dependent on the enemy not knowing which twin is Brandt. They will have to divide the forces to hit two targets. To get one they have to go through us, and the other is in a fortified position, it is brilliant. Maybe I won't smack Clint after all", She decided. "Yes it is a good plan, Brandt has kept this knowledge secret because he can use it against them. But it all hinges on them not being able to tell them apart physically. If any mistake is made that accidently reveals their true identities then it is game over", Steve warned. "But even we don't know the truth, Benji remarked. Natasha touched her lips, the one with them had kissed her in the same way Clint would. She had been certain it was Clint. She kept her lips firmly sealed, that type of knowledge could now be very dangerous.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

SHIELD base

Gideon Killian had his mouth hanging open in total shock. It told director Fury that he had not known what William Brandt could do. "He's bloody awesome", he stuttered as they watched the feed coming from Iron mans suit. "Yes he is and it is a brilliant plan yet it all hinges on the fact of identity", Fury agreed

Fury, felt a shiver come over him, It was possible that he knew the truth about which one was which. But it could never leave his lips. Brandt had kept this secret so HYDRA would never find out the truth. They had gone after the twin in the bunker, and that warned him that someone within SHIELD had loose lips. So he did not tell Gideon Killian what he knew. "If he has felt like he needed to conceal this knowledge from two of the most powerful agencies in the world then it probably means he suspects that both of us have been infiltrated", Gideon Killian had drawn his own conclusions. "He had planned this well and I hope its not all going to come crashing down around him." He took a breath, "if I factor in the disappearance of Hunt , I might suspect that he has just found out which twin went with our team."

"It is really the only explanation for his disappearance. Since I doubt he permanently silenced Hunt then it is possible he might be the one to accidently spill the truth", Gideon concluded. He hoped not, this was a brilliant plan and it could be deadly for the truth to be discovered now.

Gideon was correct Ethan Hunt did know everything, because the message 'do it now ' had been the signal to begin the plan of confusion through a masquerade. Both of the twins had identical skills and when arrow fire came from two different directions HYDRA would not know which twin was Brandt.

But he did…


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24 – the trouble with two

Was he really just going to give up just like that. For second Bryon had been shocked at his own thoughts. It was all because of the fact that once again he had underestimated William Brandt. The man was trying to out maneuver him. He licked his lips and looked down at the phone in his hands. "There is no way it is going to be over just like that. We still have the virus and if we can't use it in the airborne form then we'll just infect them by shooting them. It might be a lot harder but even if we get one of them it'll be worth it", Byron growled. The phone glinted in the sun, the tracking signal telling him that William Brandt was in the bunker still flashing. But it could be a lie. Looking at the phone though gave him a few ideas. The first was using the same tactics Brandt had to try and draw him closer. The second was using the contacts within the IMF and SHIELD bases to try and find out whether anyone there was certain which twin was which. First things first, talking to Brandt, he called the number the agent had sent. The phone rang a few times before Brandt's flat voice answered, "feeling chatty are we Byron, or may be calling to surrender', came the hint. Cory saw Bryon's hand tighten on the phone in anger. "Trace the signal", he muttered to his colleague under his breath. "No, not surrender Brandt, admittedly you do surprise me, well done for that. But it is not enough. You see even if you win this round, you still loose. HYDRA has had time to work on the virus since it was used upon your mother. We now have an airborne version, it was designed specifically for enhanced humans but it can be used against others. Unless one of you confesses to being the correct Brandt I am going to find every friend ,relative and neighbor you have and infect them all first. The blame for the virus will be placed on SHIELD. Clint can stand upon the sidelines with his colleagues and be branded a criminal, while he watches his loved ones die. If I don't manage to infect him myself", Bryon threatened.

It was not just Clint and Will who could hear the words it was everyone in the area. Benji had gone white, 'oh shit", he proclaimed. 'Yes, I hope it was a bluff", Steve remarked shakily. Luther was tracing the phone signal, "it is jumping about from the forest location to the bunker, I'd say both Brandt and Barton are wired into the conversation. It still does not tell us which one is which".

That statement was reinforced when one of the twins stated," I am afraid that after this many years it is possible he is not lying about the virus. He is someone quite capable of doing as he claimed", came the simple statement. That made everyone feel rather sick, the stakes had just gone up again.

"Of course I am not lying. All you have to do to prevent this is give up Brandt, one mans life for many. HYDRA does not need to kill all your friends, but we will to make a point", Bryon remarked.

He was Cory reflected giving up all their secrets. Still he doubted SHIELD or IMF could come up with a way to cure the virus quickly. HYDRA did still have the advantage.

"Alright its me", came a voice, "I am Brandt", it was the man from the bunker. "Don't do anything Ink", he begged. Don't be bloody stupid and think you can save me , I am in the forest Ink", came the other one. Luther shook his head, the signal was still jumping about, probably a good thing. Brandt had managed to cover himself well. But how was he going to hold up under a threats like these.

"I know you Ink, your threats are never empty ones'. But I also know you are not trustworthy, you'd kill our friends even if I did surrender", came the next remark from one of the twins.

"Perhaps not Brandt, I could make an exception. Still it seems obvious that you are not going to make up your mind quickly, so perhaps your friends will. 'Unless one of you decide to give up William Brandt now I will tell HYDRA to use the airborne virus on both the IMF and SHIELD bases in Hawaii, and don't think I don't know where they are. Your own people are not loyal". Ink crossed his arms over his chest and stood firm. He could feel his anger boiling below the surface and knew that only taking revenge would help him feel better. This was a good threat he reflected though he would not be able to carry it out immediately.

Back in the SHIELD base Nick Fury could see his own hands shaking as they listened to Ink's threats. "Put the base on high alert", Nick ordered shakily. "It won't help if what Ink is saying out the virus being airborne is true", Killian told him. "I know that, but I have to do something", Fury snapped back. He cast a look over at the IMFs secretary who looked calm, though he could see an underlying tension in his face. The man made no move to contact his own base . It seemed like he was holding off and Fury could not think of any reason for that. But the more he was around Gideon Killian the more he understood that this man did not always follow the expected path. "Aren't you going to warn your own people", he hinted. Killian gave him a rather sad look, "of course I want to do that. But I am holding off for a specific reason. I understand how my own people think . There will be some that will propose another way to settle this conflict, disposing of both Will and Clint. That way HYDRA would get nothing. I know this is a move you understand Fury as you've been under pressure to eliminate Clint Barton because of his role in the Loki incident". My people can in likelihood make the same suggestion regarding Will. It is preferable that he was dead, rather than giving HYDRA the location of more research that can be used against us. My people would be too blind to realize HYDRA would probably initiate an attack out of spite anyway". Killian was evidently up to date on recent events, Fury reflected. He felt a cold shiver assail him as he realized the IMF secretary's fears were not groundless. He had powerful people watching him as well and they would back this type of move. Swallowing the sick taste that had come into his mouth, Fury stated, "you still need to warn your own people". HYDRA may just do as they claim". Killian looked soberly at Lila Craddock. He could not think of a reason why Fury would keep the psychologist at his side , unless. "I guess I won't say that you think you have figured out which twin is which", he remarked. He nodded toward Lila, "that was why she is here, he added. I think that is what you were going to say before", Killian remarked. He was an astute man, Fury decided.

Fury debated with himself whether to share their suspicions, could he really trust this man. There was no doubt someone was passing HYDRA information and the list of people Fury trusted with absolute certainty was a short one. Killian was not on it. So he simply said " the answer is we have suspicion and not fact. Lila is adept at studying people and has made a hypothesis based on what she saw. However there are facts that tell me that hypothesis may not be correct. So sharing anything is pointless. It seemed more than just a coincidence that he was bringing this up now. He had already implied he was not going to tell his own people about the suspicions. So what was he up to. Fury thought the easiest way was to simply ask, "so what are your intentions". " Ink has confirmed the fact there are infiltrators in our midst. They could easily be the ones that lead to our downfall. You can use her a bait by dropping hints she knows the answer" , Killian suggested with a finger point in Lila's direction. "I will just put my base on high alert and see what happens, maybe my inifiltrators will try and contact yours." Killian wound down and waited to see what Fury would say. He could tell Lila Craddock was not keen on the plan as she had turned rather pale. She was not an agent and therefore not used to people wanting to kill her .His plan rested upon how brave this woman was. Lila felt her nerves rising ,what Killian was suggesting was going to be very dangerous with one mistake causing her death. Fury though was not immediately saying no. He could see the possibilities. Killian was correct in saying the infiltrator could cause them all to die. "If I have agents following her every movement then whoever it is will suspect a trap", Fury remarked. He was evidently leaning toward yes. She felt cold ,she worked for him and as yet he was not giving her a choice. Yet, deep down she knew there wasn't one . She had to trust that Fury would not let her risk her life unnecessarily . "Of course, that's why I could be the one to back her up. They are never going to see me", Killian swore. He looked Fury in the eye firmly, "and you can satisfy your own suspicion of me by keeping your agents watching from a distance". He offered Nick a grin, " they are a little obvious Fury".

Nick knew this plan was not without risk. It was possible Killian worked for the enemy, he was not pressing hard for them to tell him their suspicions . Maybe he had another plan in mind. Nick could see Lila shaking as she thought of all the horrible things that could happen to her. He owed her a choice, "It is up to you Lila", he said to her. Lila Craddock, looked at both of them. They did need to know who was working against them, she took a breath, "alright, I'll drop some hints", she agreed.

"Good, in the meantime we will lock down the base and hope that our teams in the field can keep the situation under control. If the real Brandt, whoever it may be cracks under the pressure it'll all be over", Fury remarked. "He's not going to crack, he's waited a long time for this moment and may be he just might have more surprises for us", Killian told them.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Ink tapped his foot against the ground. Everyone was still silent, holding onto to that one precious piece of information. He did not contact HYDRA base though, there was just a chace the leader would not approve an assault upon the bases. Their ace up the sleeve, the airborne virus was no longer a secret and there were many actions both IMF and SHIELD could take to protect themselves. The leader would see the leaking of that secret as his fault, not a good strategy. He had to prove himself by eliminating the Avengers . "Dammit", he swore. "Alright, ground forces, switch to using enhanced weaponry, hit the Avengers full force. I will also increase the drones power, may be it will be Iron Man who will go down first". He cut the line. Let them get infected, then they'd know he was not bluffing.

Cory noted that they were still heading toward the bunker. "We are stil trying for the one in there ",he asked. "He is the closest to our location. Plus does it really matter who it is, I want to make both of those twins suffer", Ink declared.

In the forest bullets were now flying around them as the HYDRA force attacked. Steve could hear the sound the bullets made as they hit his shield. It was like sausages on a barbeque, a sizzle that told him the protective coating they'd added was under pressure. Beside him Benji Dunn and Jane were more vulnerable. Even the fairly solid trees were not proving to be an effective cover, the bullets ofen went straight through them. They too carried shields, not like his of course, but strengthened metal that would offer limited protection. Still he feared for him, this battle field was not a place for normal humans.

Steve could see that that they felt afraid. He did not blame them because he too could feel that sensation below the surface, normal weapons he understood and could defeat, but biological ones, they struck fear into his deepest being. "Shall I transform", Bruce asked in a voice that seemed to waver. He was a scientist and would know in every excruciating detail what a virus would do to his body. Being Bruce Banner was not going to save him, being the Hulk just might.

"Yes, but stay out of direct gunfire, see if you can use methods other than frontal assault to take them out", Steve stated with calm voice. The stakes in this were high, no longer just focused on protecting one man, they had to prevent biological warfare. Everyone had to use what they had in that fight. "Alright", Bruce confirmed. He steadied his mind, feeling both halves of his personality pulsing. The anger of the Hulk burned brightly below the surface. He let it fill his being, until it burst out in an anger that transformed his body from puny to powerful. Now he towered above them, his mind burning with rage. The enemy were trying to conceal themselves amongst the trees, hoping he could not see them easily.

Fully transformed he was a sight that would make even the most insane person pause. That pause was only seconds though, then the gunfire followed. But the Hulk had already moved out of the path of gunfire. Grasping a tree trunk in his hands he simply pulled it from the ground and used it as a battering ram.

A short distance away Thor decided to copy this idea and tore up his own tree. Working together the two were swiftly taking out 20 -25 troop members at a time. If they kept it up they would not take long to decimate the HYDRA troops.

Byron Ink had a strategy all ready to counter the effects the Hulk and Thor were having ."Concentrate your fire upon the human members", he ordered. That made the troops fire rapidly at Jane, Benji and Natasha. Bullets flew around them, shooting up bark as they plowed through trees. All three of the non enhanced humans felt fear fill them as the HYDRA troops got closer. A few metres away the remaining troops were keeping Thor and the Hulk distracted.

"You have to do something", Ethan warned as he looked down from his treetop vantage point. He could clearly see the danger to Benji, Jane and Natasha. It made him feel like he should be there beside them instead of in the tree. He had sat there listening to the threats that were made and knowing he held the answers. The thought of betrayal never entered his mind though,he understood how enemies thought and knew they would still attack no matter what he told them. Still it was hard to see his friends and colleagues in the direct line of fire.

The man beside him could feel his anxiety rising. The stakes in this were getting higher and harsher. He had to keep up his resolve, carry out the plan. Within seconds he shifted from firing arrows at the drones to firing them upon the troops below. His shots were all kill ones , Ethan noted and he fired multiple arrows in one go. It was almost like watching a machine, efficient and deadly. He could though barely detect the strain, this man could not keep this level of arrow fire up forever. It would be long enough hopefully. Below them the numbers of enemy troops attacking Benji and the others had diminished remarkably as the arrows found their targets.

Ethan was just beginning to relax a little when a sound like whistling wind alerted him to the fact that drones were now diving below the tree line and joining in on the assault upon the ground forces. Rapidly counting the number of drones, Ethan realized HYDRA must have been holding a few back, there were now 150 of the things. With their rapid fire and maneuverability they were a lot harder for the Hulk or Thor to take out. The drones were also after the human members, trying to draw them out from behind the limited cover the trees offered. Benji, Jane and Natasha were weaving and running while Steve Rogers tried to deflect as much bullet fire as he could. His shield though had several impact craters already marring its surface. Even it would not hold out forever.

Ethan could feel thngs spiraling out of control. He'd already had to decide whether to trust the man in front of him with his crazy plan. The worst part was he was not being told everything. "This does not seem to be going all that well', he remarked. Blue eyes looked back at him steadily, "it'll be alright, we are onto the next phase of our plan", came the explanation. "I am not that keen on this plan. We are up a tree under attack, Benji , Jane and Natasha are all vulnerable and even that giant green nightmare seems to not be making much of a difference". Ethan watched the Hulk take out another 25 men as he said that. All the time though bullets were getting closer. It was like waiting for the inevitable to happen.

"One of them is going to get hit", Ethan warned. The stakes were high, even a graze would mean being infected and suffering a slow death. "Form in a ring everyone and wait", came the next advice. It was the man in the bunker Ethan reflected. Below him Ethan could make out the forms of the others. They were like ants upon the ground. As he watched they formed into one large group. The HYDRA troops were close and still keeping up the continual rain of bullets . Ethan feared that it would not be long until someone was hit. His thoughts seemed to be like prophecy when he saw one of the HYDRA bullets plow toward Benji. He held his breath as his friend dodged and dived. The bullet missed him and hit a HYDRA operative in the leg. It would not be a fatal wound yet the man screamed in agony.

Benji could see up close and personal what happened to that man. A hole appeared in the mans protective clothing. The clothes then burned from his body, disintegrating in seconds. After assaulting the clothing the skin followed. It seemed to turn to liquid and drip from the mans body. His leg rapidly became bone. The screaming was awful. Benji could imagine this happening to all of them. "Retreat", he suggested. "No, move closer together, came the order from one twin. "You are not even here, Benji stormed. "Will, wherever you are stop this happening now". "Help us".

Above his head Iron Man weaved, the combined arrow fire of Clint and Will had taken out some of the drones. But now whoever in the forest was having to protect two targets, he was only being backed up by one archer. Still whoever that was seemed to have enhanced arrows because the drones immediately exploded when hit. He was still under attack though and his shield power was rapidly failing. "The virus will penetrate your suit within the next 20 minutes", warned Jarvis. Tony swallowed, "help us", he also demanded.

So it was now or never, he had to play his final move and reveal his final secret.

"Fire now",Benji heard one twin say in response to his plea .

Once again two arrows flew, one from the bunker and one from the treetops. One went up at a drone the other down by the Avengers team. It was beeping as it lay upon the ground. The others were awfully close to that beeping arrow Ethan reflected. "Whats going on", he asked the man beside him.

"There is an arrow imbedded in the ground just in front of the Avengers team, it contains the cure for your virus", came the stunning reply. The arrow exploded in a flash seconds later with a white mist enveloping them all. The skin stopped burning off the HYDRA operatives leg within a minute. It was possibly too late for the man though as he lay unmoving, his face chalk white. Probably the shock had killed him. Even though he still felt horrified relief filled Benji, Will had ensured their safety in a most spectacular way.

"What" , Byron Ink had been thown off balance yet again. "My father had months to watch my mother slowly die and he used that time well. He was not a stupid man Ink, he could think up every sick thing you might use the virus for in the future. So he worked on a cure. It took him awhile but he eventually found one. Then he had to make sure I could access that cure. So he found a hiding place in every state throughout the country. It would not matter where you carried out your monstrous plans, I would be ready and waiting'. "You have lost Ink", Brandt taunted.

Byron Ink twisted the phone in his hands. Anger filled him, yet so did another emotion, victory. Did Brandt actually realize what he had just done. "Yeah well Brandt you just made a tactical error. That arrow came from the bunker, therefore you are in the bunker. I am coming for you, you bastard," he stormed into the phone. "Come then and we'll end this" was the steely reply he got. He pulled out his knife and played with the point, pushing it deeply into his skin. The pain gave him a clarity. It was obvious Will Brandt had planned all this and that meant he had some surprise waiting for him. Well maybe it was him who would get the surprise. He smiled as he took up his phone, "alpha team, report to my location", he requested. William Brandt was about to have another 200 guests, his reserve team, heavily armed. With the Avengers engaged with the drones and remaining troops, they would not be able to help their collegue. Yes, he could still turn this around.

Cory looked at Byron. He could feel the mans anger pulsing within. This was a personal fight he figured, one he would not be part of. HYDRA had already lost. They could not use their bio weapon if there already was a cure. He did not doubt that William Brandt was not lying. The evidence spoke for itself. If Byron returned to HYDRA without William Brandt he was a dead man. Cory however was not. He knew this was the moment for him to leave , while he still could. One minute he was calmly following Byron the next he was off and running through the forest as fast as he could go.

Byron watched him for a few seconds, before pushing a button on his phone and ordering one of the drones to attack Cory. He doubted the man would be fast enough to escape. After that he quickly made another call, "do you know", he asked. "Following her now, will respond soon", came the reply. That was his fail safe, his spy in SHIELD midst. He would confirm whether he had figured this correctly. In the mean time he was going with his gut, it told him that there was 99 percent certainty Brandt was in the bunker. Looking around him, he noted that he was in the right location for the drain. He waited 5 minutes for the other men to join him. Then they all began to pull the wire from the drains opening.

From the air Tony could see the extra force move through the trees. "We have more armed hostiles, heading toward the bunker", he told the others. Evidently Byron Ink was playing it safe and had a reserve team. Once inside the bunker they would corner Will Brandt , the agent had no clear way out. It seemed like he had trapped himself like a mouse in a maze. Swerving while looking down Tony could just see his leather clad form inside the bunker. "Shit", he swore as several drones began firing at the bunker. They were trying to force Brandt back down into the structure. Pieces of concrete were flying all around. Brandt was going to get hit if he was not careful. A drones fire reminded him that he had problems of his own. When no arrow came to help him he relaised the drone fire had temporarily silenced Will Brandt.

The man had made an error when he had used the arrows treated with the cure to save them. It had revealed his identity, now his compassion toward his friends would be his undoing. Tony could do nothing to save him.

Ethan was swinging through the trees just like tarzan following the man in front of him. He swung with an ease that would almost make you think he had been born in a jungle. Ethan found it a lot harder to keep the rope swinging momentum up. "Hey, he called forward, where are we going". He noted they were not heading toward the bunker. "We are finishing the plan", came the reply. "Yeah well I thought the plan was that both of you are going to get out of this alive'. You heard what Stark said, Ink has another force with him and they are attacking the bunker". "I know Ethan, just remember you trust me", that reply really was not helpful. He had though already had to make that decision ,so kept following the man in front of him.

Xxxxx

Lila Craddock was walking down one of the most isolated corridors in the SHIELD base. She was heading for the laboratory at the end of that corridor. It all was made to seem natural, yet she could almost feel the eyes watching her. It was a challenge not to turn around and look. She had never been the frightened sort, until now. Somewhere Gideon Killian was supposedly watching her. Her safety was in the hands of a man they barely knew. Her mind was in full terror mode thinking up every horrid thing that could go wrong. That included the possibility that Gideon Killian was one of the infiltrators.

Fury is watching me too, she reminded herself. The lab was in sight and she pulled out her swipe card to gain access. It was in that moment that the attack happened. She was thrown forward into the glass door with a stunning impact that made her head swim. Warm gloved hands then encircled her throat. "Tell me Lila Craddock, which twin is with the SHIELD team", came the harsh request. Those hands squeezed her throat choking her. Was it supposed to go this far, where was her backup. 'If you do not answer ,you will die", came the threat. She could feel herself become detached as the hands squeezed again. It seemed like she had also been betrayed.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25- unmasked

Lila knew that she would be unconscious within seconds. She could not see the person behind her yet could feel the power of their body within the force they placed upon her. There was no room for her to lash out with a kick or any other movement, she was trapped in front of the door. "Tell me now doctor", the rough voice repeated. There were no clues to identity there. "Its…", Lila found herself chocking out the words. The pressure stopped just for an instance, she sucked in pure air through an aching throat. "Keep going", the person holding her insisted, thrusting her forward against the unyielding glass of the door again. Beside her own harsh breathing and the more control breaths of her captor she could hear nothing, no footsteps coming to her rescue. She had already given up on Gideon Killian but she thought she could rely on Fury. 'Which twin is with the Avengers team, I won't ask again doctor", the harsh voiced man shoved her again harder than before. Lila could feel her resolve crumbling, she would tell this man anything just to make him stop. "Okay, I'll tell you", the words fell from her lips. "Good",the pressure of the mans body was still against her trapping her hands against the door. She honestly wished that she could slap him hard. Thinking about her hands gave her an idea, she still held the swipe card. With quick movement she swiped it into the door. Then as the door in front of her opened she ducked down so that the person behind her fell forward over the top of her as her weight shifted. She was free for seconds and quickly climbed to her feet as she looked for anything she could use as a weapon. The man was fast though, rapidly gaining his feet . He was wearing a mask and had a huge powerful looking body. She resolve to fight back stilled as she stared at him. He would have injured her severely had she hit out at him."Bitch, he growled, "for that I…".He never finished his sentence as a pipe came from nowhere to slap his across the head.

"It's alright, you are safe now", came a familiar voice. She saw Gideon Killian standing where her attacker had been with a metal pipe in his hands. He had blood running down his face Lila noted. "Sorry for the delay Lila, I had problems of my own. There was more than one", Gideon stated. In fact there had been three, and two of them had attacked him without warning. He had Lila in sight, using various reflective surface so not to be too obvious. There was nobody watching her he had decided. Turning another corridor, Gideon suddenly found himself shoved off his feet as a large man barreled into him. That man pushed him out of the corridor into a small ultilty room. There was not a lot of room to fight back here. Before he could regain his feet a second man came to start pummeling him. "So old man, you think you are powerful well you are not", he growled. Both of these men were huge, towering over his shorter ,leaner frame.

The address was meant to be stinging but he shrugged it off. He was in fact only 4 years older than Ethan Hunt. To these young fit men he probably was old and harmess. It would work in his advantage. "We are to give you a message. You have resigned as secretary of IMF", a hard punch to his face was delivered for emphasis. So that was it, whoever was working for HYDRA within IMF just wanted him out of the way. He had a feeling his 'resignation' meant his death and that SHIELD would in likehood get the blame. Tension would then arise between the agencies which would ultimately aid the enemy. "I am not resigning", he got out between his aching jaw. "It's not up for discussion", one man told him with another kick. He curled himself inward upon the ground to protect his face and made himself shake and appear beaten. Admittedly part of him was afraid, but he kept his real fears hidden and only showed them his fake ones. "At least tellme who wants me gone", he trembled. Both men now stood over him. He did not look at them directly, that might warn them his surrender was an act. "Someone in your office here", came the answer. "I think they have aspirations on your job". That gave him the answer he was looking for. As the men came toward him again, he flew off the floor with a fury that had both of them stumbling. His act was now over and it was time to show them his real self. Gideons IMF profile did not list his profiency in 4 different types of fighting, that was something he preferred not to make common knowledge. That way people like these men would underestimate him .The two men in front of him were brawling tiypes, who would use their mass and not their brains. He was not in a charitable mood however and did not feel like showing them his fancy moves. The easiest way was simply use his best strike which had both of them lying unconscious on the ground before 5 minutes had passed. He had then barreled down the corridor after Lila.

Fury turned up within the next couple of minutes and looked over both of them soberly. He had not intended for Gideon Killian to end up injured or Lila to be terrified. By the looks of injuries Gideons attackers had received he had more than held his own. Lila too had done well for someone not trained. "Your two are being taking to holding cell", he told Gideon. "As for that one, it's the infirmary for him", Fury decided as he looked at the blood coming from Lila's attackers head

Lila felt relief finally fill her as the man was dragged off. "Well I suppose that is our battle over", Gideon remarked. 'Fury nodded, 'yes, I should apologise to both of you for the delay ". "Unfortunately it was yet another crisis unrelated to our business with HYDRA". He shook Gideons hand,"people should not underestimate you Mr Secretary ", he remarked soberly. It was he thought an apology of sorts for suspecting the IMF secretary. Fury knew Gideon had felt that suspicion, but the man did not accuse or threaten. He was a good leader Fury reflected and they had forged a working relationship that meant they could deal with each other fairly and honestly in the future.

"Let's hope our teams in the field are having as much success with finishing off HYDRA", Gideon remarked. Lila and Fury agreed.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ten minutes until shield failure", JARVIS warned. Tony felt like turning the AIs systems off so he would not get a warning of impending doom. He stunted rapidly zipping behind a tree as two drones fired in unison as him. They followed him effortlessly, up, down, then sharp left until a sweeping tree knocked them both out of the sky. Tony had to quickly turn sharply to avoid hitting into the Hulk as the green giant used the tree like a broom. It was effective, knocking the drones together.

Below him Thor was using a tree on the HYDRA troops. The god was gleefully sweeping the giant trunk across the troops with a force that sent them spiraling high in the air. When the came down again, they usually did not have any fight left in them. Benji, Jane and Natasha was keeping close to Captain America a she used smaller branches to have a similar effect upon HYDRA troops.

Those troops were now suffering massive losses, though they were still keeping up their gunfire in hope of somehow turning the tide. "It does not look like they will surrender", Steve yelled to Benji. The agent shook his head, he thought Steve was correct, these troops would rather die than end up in the hands of the enemy. A bullet sped past Benji again, eating through another tree trunk as it went. It was a sobering reminder that these troops carried a potent weapon. Benji was not sure if Brandt could send another arrow coated with more of the cure so was being extra cautious.

"We need to get these guys contained", Steve shouted as he hit another few with his tree branch. Most of the others were getting wise to this approach and firing from a safe distance. Benji shot a few bullets which did not have any disernable effect. Steve was trying to think of more options when an arrow shot of out the bushes and claimed the life of one of the HYDRA troops. When Steve heard gunfire coming from that direction as well he guessed that they had just found Ethan Hunt and Clint.

Sure enough Clint's black leather could be seen darting in and out of the trees as he shot arrows at the troops. That and the effects of Thor and the others finally made the surviving HYDRA troops pause.

They put up their hands and stood still as they closed in on them. Benji would have grinned as Ethan and Clint ran in to join them if he had not been afraid that they had left Will Brandt without any back up.

"You should be headed for the bunker", Steve stated with a puzzled look at Clint. Ethan too was looking at him. "He has not explained everything yet", he remarked. "It'll be fine", came the reply.

"How does 200 or so troops heading in the bunkers direction seem fine to you", Tony challenged as he landed beside them. He had seen the men disappear before he could do anything about their presence. It seemed likely there was another entrance to the bunker. He knew Brandt was now inside the bunker and getting him out was not going to be easy as all the access points were now closed .It would take a lot of fire power to get inside and by then it would be too late to help Brandt."I know your brother shoots as crazy as you do, but still that's not good odds", Tony continued. "He is right Clint, this seems unlike you", Natasha agreed as she stared at him.

"My brother can look after himself",came the reply. 'Yeah well tell us how he's going to avoid 200 armed hostiles", Tony demanded. He was not backing down. The others also wanted to know the answer to that eyes were all focused upon Clint Barton awaiting the answer.

In the tunnels of bunker Byron Ink was thinking the same thing, there was no way William Brandt was getting out of here . He and the men behind him stopped as the tunnel separated into different directions. His phone still gave him a tracking signal but it only gave a broad location. So he divided the men and each of them took a different tunnel. It was dark and wet in the tunnel with slime dripping almost constantly from the ceiling. Byron shrugged off his discomfort. He could feel the need to end this . Back in the forest the beta team would soon be defeated. But at least the Avengers would not come after him until it was already too late. He intended to question Brandt in the bunker and then quickly get out of the hidden entrance. These troops could delay the avengers if they did attempt to intervene.

Ahead of him the tunnel divided again, forcing him to once again split up his troops. He was getting tired of this place with its labyrinth like layout. When he came to a single door his anticipation shifted up a notch. This door was bolted from the insde, thus in likelihood he had just found William Brandt.

"Get this door open", he yelled at the men accompanying him. They used a small amount of C4 to blow the door off its hinges. He raced inside with his men at his heels There in the middle of the room was a table, the swiveling chair facing away from him. He could see the top of William Brandts head clearly. The man was eerily still, as though just patiently awaiting their arrival .Ink could not see the rest of him clearly in the semi darkness of this room. He could see the table though as it was illuminated by the phone that lay upon its top. That phone had a steady beeping sound sound coming from its depths. A quick glance around the room revealed many other doors leading into the centre. Those doors were now all opening as his troops rushed inside . William Brandt was now surrounded. Byron found a smile forming as he stepped forward and grasped the top of the chair. Upon the table the phone suddenly stopped its beeping. As he heard the sounds of doors closing around them Byron knew that Cory had been correct and this place was a trap.

"XXXXX

"What are we going to do", Tony demanded harshly to Clint. It seemed they were just standing there while HYDRA was grabbing Brandt. A drones fire reminded him that they were still not finished with the enemy. He really was getting fed up with those things. Thor grabbed hold of the tree again ready to sweep the flying menaces out of the sky. But before he could move an arrow shot up and into the drone, making it explode in a firey ball."I don't think that was necessary Legolas, we could deal with…", Tony wound down as he realized that he had been looking at Clint the whole time and the man had not moved."What", he stuttered as his mind caught up with what he was seeing. Clint smiled at him then raised his arm and pointed . As they watched Will Brandt came running out of the trees

"Will", Benji gasped,"I thought you were in the bunker"." So did Byron Ink", came the reply. "The bunker was always a trap to ensnare the man. He had just found himself shut in with no way out. I of course was prepared from the beginning and had a quick exit planned", that comment was delivered with a smile. "Yeah well you could have warned us Will", Benji berated. He got a sigh in response, "the whole point of this was that nobody knew what was coming. Everything was planned carefully and all you had to do was trust us'. He looked over at Clint. 'Can we stop this now", he asked. "Sure ", came the reply. "Stop what, Steve Rogers asked.

Clint turned to Ethan who recognized the look. He had seen this look in the eyes of Clint Barton when he held him at gunpoint in the forest not that long ago. 'He remembered feeling unsure as he held the gun steady and straight. His eyes had watched Clint's hands ready for any move toward his arrows. This man was fast so he would have to be prepared to shoot him. He was so focused upon the arrows that what happened next was a shock. Clint had simply grabbed his gun in a movement that was so shockingly familiar that he had stood with his mouth open. It was at that moment he realized Will Brandt had never left their company. Clint was the one in the bunker.

Everything he had thought he knew about the former analyst had come crashing down at that moment. Will had looked at him steadily not lowering the weapon. "I did not intend to get found out this quickly "he remarked. Ethan was not sure whether he should be preparing himself for an attack or to run away. Memories of Will standing on the SHIELD testing ground killing endless enemies with arrow fire were still in his mind. Will may be a friend in his mind but he was still very dangerous. If he thought that Ethan was going to upset his plans he might just shoot him. The Brandt he knew would try to make it non lethal, but was that just a fake persona, Ethan could no longer be sure . "So what now Will", he asked with a false calm voice. He did not shake or even twitch in the slightest just looking Will in the eyes. "Now Ethan Hunt you must decide whether you do trust me", came the reply.

It had taken a lot of faith to keep up that trust. Now they had finally completed the plan and Ethan could suck out the breath he had been holding. It had all worked and the credit rested with Will and Clint.

He pointed at the man beside him, the one they thought was Clint, "this is Will, that is Clint", he explained. Luckily they were all gaping as he said that as nobody but Will noticed the red blush that came upon Natasha Romonoff's face. She was he knew remembering their exchange back at the SHIELD base. Naturally she probably thought that Clint had spilled some intimate secrets so that he could successfully carry out the masquerade . He would have to tell her she was wrong, when it was safe to do so.

Now he was awaiting some comment from the others. Steve Rogers was the first to step up to him. "So you never left us Will, it was a clever plan. Even we were convinced it had to be you in the bunker when those enhanced arrows were shot". He reached out his hand as if to shake Will's. However as soon as Will's hand went out he found cuffs being placed upon his hand and Steve Rogers holding on tightly. 'Steve let him go", Clint growled as he stepped forward to glare at Captain America. "He still has a role to fulfill", Steve told Clint calmly, "we have to make sure of identity for that. You two do seem to have a habit of changing places'. Clint was still glaring, his whole body tense. "Its alright Clint, I knew this would happen. Steve is right, I haven't told you all the location of the hidden laboratory yet."This is not over until that is done . I will still need to be protected until then," Will replied, he winced as he moved and Steve looked closely at him. It had been easy to forget that Wills arm had been injured and could not have healed that rapidly. What he had seen a few times during the mission now made sense, Will must be in pain from using his arm so much to fire the arrows. "We'll check you out enroute back to the base. I suppose we will also have to do something about Byron Ink and his men", Steve remarked.

"Why", Will countered," he is in a prison of sorts and there is no escape. It is a fitting place for a man like him."He would also rather die than give up any information". Steve supposed that might be accurate, though he guessed SHIELD would still want to talk to Byron Ink.

Thinking about SHIELD Steve took a steadying breath and initiated contact. Around him the rest of the team were dealing with the remaining drones.

Fury was smiling as he heard Steve state, "mission accomplished sir, HYRDAs remaining forces are contained, Byron Ink is trapped within the bunker and we have Will Brandt in our custody once again."

He went on to give a brief run down of events. Fury turned to Lila, "So you were right , Will Brandt was with the Avengers the entire time." Gideon nodded, "I did surmise some things, your theory rested upon the fact that Clint introducing his friends and way of life was actually a preparation for Will taking Clints place. It would be remember when stories and names of people that would catch Will out initially. Then of course you thought you were wrong when Will shot those arrows on the training ground", he took a breath, as he realized he had not thought too deeply about that. He would have to have a long talk with Will. "We have two very clever agents on our hands", he concluded. 'Yes, we do. But the enemy is also clever and I think we need to be cautious and conclude our plan now. As I told you I was delayed from helping out you and Lila by another crisis. However the timing of that crisis was rather coincidental. I cannot guarantee that we have captured all of the infiltrators here. There is no reason why Brandt needs to return to the base, he has a team with him, he can take them to the laboratories location", Fury remarked.

"As I am not sure whether they are more dangerous together or apart, I will chose to let Barton remain with the team. Then at least we know where both of them are", Fury said to Gideon. "I agree", Gideon told him while rubbing a hand over his bruised face. He had some cleaning up of his own to do at IMF base and could not let Brandt return there until that was done.

Fury relayed his instructions to Steve Rogers. Steve ordered them to begin loading the prisoners into a separate transport. Once they were all safely out of ear shot he turned to Will Brandt. "Fury has given the go ahead for us to proceed immediately to hidden laboratory. So we will need a starting point. Can you tell us the name of the town or city where it is located."

Will was now sitting on a piece of tree while Ethan pulled the fake skin from his right arm. Steve grimaced at the red bloody mess that was revealed. "Will, you idiot", Ethan chastised , though it did not have any heat to it. He knew Will was tired of running and hiding .Will winced as Ethan began to clean his arm. Now that things were quieter Steve had to finalize the next step. He decided to leave Thor behind to supervise the transport of prisoners .

All they needed was a next destination out of Brandt. Steve sat beside him while Ethan Hunt bandaged up his arm. "So Will do you have a starting point for the next part of our mission",he asked.

Will nodded, "as I said I m not sure I can find the exact location. It was a long time ago. But I do know what City I was in when dad took me to the laboratory", he took a breath, "it was New York."

That answer surprised Steve. He knew Brandt had a history with that city , it was where he had been attacked as a teen and where his father had come to his rescue. Surely that would have made HYDRA suspicious that the city was the location of the laboratory. When he mentioned that to Will he nodded, "yeah they were close that time. But dad lead them astray by visiting other cities as well. That was his role , to make sure that HYDRA never suspected . Although I lived within the city the placement of that stealth device meant I could not be tracked."

Steve reviewed what Brandt had said in his mind. He thought that staying in New York after the attack was possibly a risky move. But he also understood that Brandt was only young at the time and that uprooting him constantly would have been detrimental to his development.

Looking over at Ethan Hunt Steve commanded, "finish cleaning him up, we have a helijet on standby to fly us to New York. Since we are not going to use any other SHIELD personal Clint can fly us there", he concluded. He tapped Will on the shoulder gently, it's time to finsh this", he told him.

Will nodded, he already felt exhausted and needed to save some strength for the visit to New York. Although he had captured Byron Ink, he knew that he did not work alone. HYDRA may still have some moves left in this game and he could not longer say what they might be.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26- New York Times

New York City several hours later

There were eyes all around him watching, evaluating and silently waiting. Some of those eyes belonged to his friends and allies. They had to watch him to make sure that HYDRA was not about to attack. But they also watched because they could not be sure if he was keeping other secrets. He had hidden his knowledge of his brother and his use of the bow and arrow for years. Even those he trusted the most had not been given that knowledge. "You will have to get used to both hiding facts and lying to protect them", his father had told him long ago. He of course had extra training in those things through being a spy.

After an exhausting flight he was now back in the city that held many unpleasant memories. He,Ethan, Clint, Steve and Bruce were all together in a limosine circling around the City streets. Clin'ts eyes were almost continually focused upon him now and his brothers words as they had landed still rung in his head, "we will fight together and if necessary go down together. Don't ask me to sit somewhere and just watch", Clint had insisted .He had not been offended by Will keeping secrets because he knew he'd done it all to stay alive.

The others had agreed about Clint's presence, partly because at least they knew where he was. They knew Clint well enough to know that keeping him behind would just mean he would just go off on his own. Will stretched slightly pulling on the shackle that secured his arm to that of Steve Rogers. This was their way of ensuring he did not pull the swap routine again. He was not planning that move again of course. That didn't mean he was not going to carry out a different plan. He had a move in mind that he was not going to share with any of them and that included Clint,

Clint's fingers tightened a little on the arm rest, his index finger seemingly tapping for no reason other than boredom. It was though, how they communicated, twin speak, a secret language Clint had he had invented before the surgery. The knowledge of that language had been one of the memories that had recently returned to Clint. They had used it to plan the masquerade. When he'd been asked how he did it by Killian and Fury Will had lied and said they had used notes. He wanted the language to remain between the two or them. That had not been his only lie.

All their questions had hit him harshly yet he had not faulted. He doubted they could tell he was lying. They had already drugged him once to ensure they had been told the truth. Of course they did not know that one of the things his father had prepared him for was the possibility of being questioned while drugged. He had built up a resistance to the drugs used that had enabled him to lie to the IMF and SHIELD. There was too much fear in his past to feel comfortable even in the presence of powerful people like the Avengers . Then of course were the words his father had drilled into his mind,"do not trust anyone". They pounded through his head like a drum keeping him on high alert. Those were not just hollow words, his father had once asked for help from Howard Stark, Tony's father and been rebuked. It had been why Will had spoken with him in such a combative way when they'd met. He had also heard enough about Tony to wonder if he would return to his old ways. Anyone could be tempted if they had power within their grasp.

Will knew he would pay a price for his lies, disavowment or worse may await when finally the whole truth came out. Part of him felt fear and the other part was just numb. He had been living a lie long enough now and was becoming desensitized . "Are you alright", Clints fingers flicked at him again. "Yes", he flicked back. Clint's expression did not change but his fingers flicked back, "liar'. Yes that was him.

He turned and looked out the car window at the city sure the eyes of the enemy were upon him right now. How close they were he did not know .All he knew was that there was a passionate hatred behind their targeting of him and his family . Even recent knowledge did not make him feel safe. Fury had told him that he'd sent Thor into the bunker and found Byron Ink and all the HYDRA troops inside dead. They had taken their own lives rather than be subject to questioning. That the man who'd chased him for years was dead brought a type of relief yet it was not complete as Ink was not the leader of HYDRA because his personality was too unstable. "Who is it dad", he had asked his father. The look he'd got back was filled with an emotion he could not grasp. He understood though that his father did know the answer. "Tell me", his shout had whipped harshly with power he did not think he'd had. His father had thrown a photo at his feet . It sailed across the room and ended up in a corner. He retrieved the photo and stared at it uncomprehending, "what is this", he'd demanded. His voice now had a croakiness within it, he feared the answer. "That is why we will never stop running Will, why they hate us so much and why I can never end this by killing ". Now you know everything", his father put his hands up to his face ,misery clear in his posture. This had already broken him and tainted his relationship with his sons. Now it could possibily take away any life Will wanted to have.

"Alright Will, its time to do your thing", Steve's statement cut into his thoughts. Ethan nodded at him from the seat opposite, indicating he was ready for anything. Will slipped down from the soft seat onto the hard floor and closed his eyes. He had told them it was his method of finding the laboratory, to not rely on his eyes and to engage his other senses. Around him Steve Rogers, Clint , Ethan and Bruce said nothing, their eyes though watched his actions carefully. He knew Natasha , Tony Stark, Jane and Benji were in other cars around them. Everyone was heavily armed yet he did not feel reassured. His hands shook slightly as unpleasant memories assailed him.

Xxxxxx

"At the moment they are just driving around, it seems without purpose". They had gone down the same streets a couple of times", Cory reported. "Yeah, they are just trying to distract any tails, keep watching", came back the order in a flat monotone devoid of any clear emotion. Cory agreed. He had no idea who he was talking to as he'd never been considered important enough to be introduced to HYDRAs leader. That leader was famous, a powerful ,driven figure that had elevated HYDRA out of the hole it had fallen into. After he had completed this mission he was sure he would stand at the leaders side and be one of the inner circle that was privy to the leaders identity. It was an honor reserved for those of the highest loyalty.

It had been rather ironical that Thor had unknowingly saved his life. The drone had been bearing down upon him with its guns tearing up the earth at his heels. He had changed direction suddenly heading back toward the mouth of the hidden tunnel. His sudden course change did not deter the drone and he could now hear it buzz as it closed . His whole body began to shake as he thought about his death with hot tears forming in his eyes. Everything around him seemed to still for a minute. After the stillness came a strong wind that buffeting him about roughly making him fall to the ground. He lay amongst the undergrowth his breath coming in short gasps. The wind was now almost storm force and as he watched in frozen terror an uprooted tree swept across the sky and crashed into the drone with a deafening force. The thing exploded. From his hiding place he saw Thor emerge and look about him. He lay still and quiet until the man passed, then he'd run for his life. He had stopped running after awhile and stayed to watch what was left of the HYDRA troops being rounded up. It was during this he had heard Thor ask if he should join the others in New York.

He had promptly given this information to the leader who had arranged for him to be flown to the city as fast as possible.

Now he was here watching the limo that contained their target. Unbeknown to him his boss was just a few cars away . Settled comfortably in a limo the leader talked to the other HYDRA operatives also in cars surrounding the target limousine. As yet the order would not come to attack. There was only one thing stopping that order, proof. When the leader had been told the laboratory was in New York city disbelief had been the first emotion. This city was where Brandt's father had been located many yeas ago and had been top of the list for location of the hidden laboratory. It was at that time that they'd searched the city with the most sophisticated equipment they could find. The experts said there was nothing here and thus they had moved on. They had not found anything in other cities equipment they used to search got more advanced over the years and now it was considered infallible . So with that piece of knowledge in mind there had to be consideration of the fact that the laboratory did not exist at all. It was all a made up piece of fantasy that had started in the mind of Joseph Brandt and was being perpetuated by his son .Will Brandt had certainly shown he was brilliant enough to carry out a subterfuge . Even the fact he had convinced IMF and SHIELD the laboratory existed was not proof enough. He could just be stringing both agencies along to make it look more convincing. Brandts father had hated HYDRA with a deep passion that would have rubbed off on Will Brandt. Clint Barton would go along with any plan as well, SHIELD had already tainted his mind about HYDRA's purposes. So this could simply all be about revenge and finally taking HYDRA out of the picture for good.

It was not going to happen. HYDRA had more agents planted in both IMF and SHIELD and they were working toward the moment when both those agencies would be taken down from within. That goal was all so close now it could be tasted like a fine wine.

"Driver take us around the block again", came the request as the target limo changed direction again.

Inside their limo Will could feel his stomach lurch as the car moved rapidly. "You have several cars following your route", came JARVIS's voice. The AI systems were linked into the car. "All are legitimately owned by businesses in the City". "Yeah, I had a feeling that would be the case", Clint muttered.

He looked over at Will who still had his eyes closed. What was he holding back, Clint find himself beginning to obsess over the answer. He wondered if Will was aware of the fact everyone was asking questions, IMF and SHIELD were no longer totally sure he was being honest with them. Of course Clint was not going to tell them they were right. He knew Will was firmly on the side of good and the others belief in that was probably all that was stopping them locking him up. Sooner or later though they were going to get tougher on Will.

"I can't do this", Will's mutter snapped Clint out of his thoughts. "It was totally dark when I visited the laboratory ,we need to wait a few more hours". Steve and Ethan both stared at him. "We could goto the tower", Bruce suggested, referring to Tony's place. "I'd be safe enough since anyone knocking at the door would immediately be suspect". Clint craved the answer 'yes' to that suggestion. He wanted to stop and feel normal if only for a short time. "No", Steve vetoed the notion. "Fury and Killian both made it clear there were to be no side trips." He looked from Clint to Will noticing both of them were tenser. "Either you can find this place or you can't Agent Brandt", Steve looked at him seriously. "We all have to wonder why HYDRA would chase you for years if there was only a remote chance you could find this hidden laboratory. Unless of course its all some elaborate plot, you seem good at those". There was no accusation present in Steve's voice, Clint noted, he sounded more fed up than anything. Will said nothing just looking down at the floor. It was evident he was holding back. "Out with it", Clints fingers demanded. "No", Will flicked back. Clint sighed audibly then reached over and actually shook Will, "I've had enough of this Will, "what are you hiding. Was this whole laboratory thing made up and now you don't want to confess because you fear what your agency and mine might do to you."The accusation hung there between them all. Ethan feared Clint was right and this was all some personal crusade that Will had dragged them into. IMF would not be impressed to have a revenge driven agent manipulating them. Will would face a lot of trouble if it was true. He knew though that he was not the one to get the answer out of Will.

Will looked over at all the faces now staring and knew his actions had them all wondering. Sometimes he questioned himself. Yes, he had lied many times and continued to hold back the whole truth but he had been honest about some things. "The laboratory does exist", he said simply. "I can find it as I have been there many times before". Sometimes I'd sit there alone waiting for my father to return. He was the only family I could find at the time and I was not going to let him go that easily".

A silence hung over the car for a minute as they all digested that information. Finally Steve repeated a statement Will had made",many times, "you said only one". "Yeah well it has been many years since I was last there", Will paused licking his dry lips. He sounded reluctant Ethan reflected . Clint too picked up on that and flicked out, "theres more", on his fingers. He noticed Ethan watching him and wondered if the agent was going to figured out why his hands were so twitchy.

Will sighed loudly and confessed" "I know I don't want to find it". "Yeah I think we all get that", Ethan told him. "We have already seen the damage that virus could do and who knows what else is in that place and what it might do".It is terrifying Will and I don't fault you for your reluctance". But youalso know that laboratory is vulnerable. HYDRA will not stop looking".We don't want to put pressure upon you but you are smart enough to know what IMF will do to you if you hold onto this information". He susuepcted that Will may not care too much about that as long as Clint was not caught in the fall out. He cared though and so put on a little pressure.

"I know whats in there Ethan, . Dad explained most of it to me. There is the possibility of wonder or the unleashing of nightmares. Stark would be one who will find it irresistible and him too", Will pointed at Bruce. "They may well begin to alter whats in there themselves, who knows what will come of that", Will said with sorrow. "It was all supposed to be for good".

Clint was touched by the sorrow that hung over Will and wrapped his arms around him tightly. Ethan looked sadly at him. "Maybe it still can be used for good Will. We just have to eliminate HYDRA. I guess they do wonder how much your father told you. " As he said that he saw just for a second a familiar boxed in expression appear on Will's face .He equated that with Will holding back something else. It was a type of knowledge that obviously terrified Will and that gave Ethan the shivers. All he could do was share his observations and hope Will talked."Your father could not share technical details with someone who would not know what to do with them. So I don't think he'd have told you too much about that research other than basic details. Yet you are still hiding something Will. What did he tell you that has you so scared", Ethan prodded.

"No, I can't", Will said the words firmly as he put his hands in his face. He was almost clawing at his skin in an effort to escape their questions. He hunkered down on the floor of the car in a ball as if trying to escape. The shackle on his arm pulled tightly but he did not flinch. The others found the whole display profoundly disturbing. Clint could feel Will's pain pulsing. He cast his own mind back in to the past trying to find anything that would account for his behavour, but many of his memories still lay in hadows. He made a wild stab. "To chase want you for so long it must be good, like the names of all the HYDRA operatives that existed. Though that type of information would be useless years…", Clint broke off because he saw Will's expression change just slightly. He found himself reaching down and pulling Will's hands off his face, "that's it isn't' it, you know names". Will looked at him, "I was told Byrons name and one other", he almost whispered that. "Whos the other one", Steve asked firmly. Clint hoped Steve would not try and force the name out. Will just looked at him for a second then looked at Ethan for support. "Tell us Will, we can protect you", Ethan said in his best team leader who is to be obeyed voice. "Not from this you can't Ethan, that's the whole problem", Will retorted back. "Tell us anyway Will", Ethan asked. "Yes, you said all I needed to do was trust you, well now the reverse is true. We are your friends Will. None of us work for HYDRA or would ever considered defecting to their cause. Nothing you say will ever alter any of those facts". It was a deep vow and from Ethan Hunt's lips it was an unbreakable truth.

Will felt cornered. He felt like an over blown balloon ready to pop if more pressure was added. There was knowledge had been holding on for so long that he had become accustomed to the uncomfortable feelings and partially unaware of the change in his personality . It was time to let go. "Alright, I suppose that this deep dark secret can finally see the light", he muttered. He looked into Clints face, " identical twins runs in our family Clint", he said, "it is inherited from one of our parents. " Clint was frowing, "what are you trying to say Will", he asked. His chest already felt tight for some reason.

Will reached over and tapped a few buttons on the laptop that was positioned between Ethan and Bruce.

A photo was revealed, "our mother and our aunty, one good and the other the leader of HYDRA", Will said bleakly. Clint swallowed and he clutched his head as a memory came swirling back,"Aunty Alyce is the leader of HYDRA" he stated. His memories of her were indistinct ,but he seemed to recall laughing with her and enjoying her company. Strangely enough he also seemed to remember her poking him cruelly when his fathers back was turned. Will swallowed, and looked at the photo. "Our father had been dating for a six months when he met her, he already was in love with one twin. He said he could not help loving her as well. So their relationship became a triangle, two women, one man, that was always going to end badly. He had to make a choice about which one he loved. So he did. Of course choices always have consequences and his love of two women had terrible ones. It is what lead us to this point", Will choked out

Clint held onto him, "Will that's bad but its not as terrible as you think. Nobody is going to hold us accountable for what our Aunty is and has done." He thought that was why Will was so scared.

Will wished that was all it was. He looked down at the floor then back up into Clints eyes , he had to tell him everything now. Twin speak would not work for this, so he had to trust that the others would not repeat this to their superiors. He took a deep breath and told Clint the full truth, "oh its far worse than that Clint, you see the one whos alive and wanting to kill us is not our Aunty, shes our mother."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27- Encounter part 1 of the 2 part finale

Cassa Wilks formerly known as Cassandra Brandt settled back in her seat and waited calmly for the limousine carrying her sons to stop. Beside her sat Cory Fine who kept giving her these little glances that indicated his shock at finally meeting the leader of the foremost criminal organization in the world and finding she was a tiny, frail looking woman. She knew she did not look frightening. At barely 5 foot with a thin frame there was a look of vulnerability about her that had served her well.

She had risen in the ranks of HYDRA over the years from a position as the organizations messenger, when she was a young teen to their leader. Every day it had been a fight, against those who thought their ideas were the ones to lead HYDRA into the future.

It had been her idea that had resonated the loudest, her use of the man that loved her to advance her position. She had been with HYDRA just a few years when she'd met him. At first she had thought about leaving the organization to be with him, a new life and new beginning. He was another prize in a life where she had to come out the winner.

That was the feeling that had led her to HYDRA. She had excelled at everything she tried her hand at whereas her sister struggled. Yet the praise always seemed to fall upon her sister .That she could not understand as she was the one who had succeeded whereas her sister had just come in second. Maybe her parents saw the fact that she had no particular attachment for any of the things she did, she just wanted to be better than everyone else. When she held a man in her arms she had one chance to walk away from HYDRA and live a life where he would be proud of her and there would be no need to compete again. But when she thought about it there seemed no challenge, he was a clever man and could hold the key to her rising even higher and looking down upon yet more people. So she had made a choice and given him some subtle guidance that was supposedly in the name of love. He had set up a laboratory where a group of brilliant people designed the most intriguing thing for the supposed benefit of others. Of course it was all for the benefit of HYDRA.

It had all been working well until she, proud of her prize had introduced him to her family. Her sister who had always hidden in her shadow and never tried to be better than her had done the unthinkable , gotten to know her husband then decided he should be hers. Even the fact that she was married and pregnant had not stopped her. Damn them both. They took her babies when they were barely months old and went off together.

She though did not just give up. As her babies grew up she took many opportunities to pass herself off as her sister. She made her sons and her former husband totally confused. It was also the time when he saw her for what she was, someone who craved power and would do anything to attain it.

When Clint picked up a bow and fired arrows for the first time she was pleased by her sisters reaction. She could see it going through her mind that Clint would end up on the wrong side, just like she was. It was then that the seeds of an idea hit her, to reclaim her sons in a spectacular way. Clint could have a glorious future within HYDRA, whereas Will, well he was like her sister, not that good at anything. But she'd take him anyway and perhaps teach him a few new skills.

Her plan was appropriately nasty, to get a surgeon to remove their memories of their life, so they'd become a blank slate for her to mold and shape. When Joseph found out her plan she and Alyce had tried to stop her. It was then she poisoned her own sister using the virus her former husband had created . She had hoped that Joseph would be too busy trying to save his lover to find out her new plans. But he had intervened, storming into the theatre and once again taking his sons. It was too late for Alyce, as she died that very night. "You better let the surgeon continue his work and wipe Will's mind, otherwise he will never be safe", she had stormed at Joseph. "I do not want you to have a life with either of them Joe and I will do anything, kill anyone to achieve that aim."You never should have chosen my weak minded sister as she could not offer you protection against what is coming. I will take what you have done ,warp it then unleash upon the world in your name. You cannot stop me." She remembered Joseph gentling cradling the ashen skinned Clint in his arms. He was with several of the other designers from the laboratory, and they held a gun upon her. She had no fear, just staring them down boldly. "What have you done Cass", Joseph pleaded as he tried to free Clint from all the machinery. "I have ensured that he", she pointed at Clint," will not remember your sentiment and weakness. He has the makings of an assassin within him and it is better he does not have a history to succeed at that career. I wanted to introduce him and Will to a new family". "My type of family, where strength is power". She stated the last bit with a heated passion.

Joseph just stared in disbelief his eyes sad. "I loved you Cass, but always felt like it was never enough. 'Still, how you can do something like this is beyond my comprehension."You may have succeeded in removing Clint's memories and but you failed to get Will". Cass took a step closer to Will only to be shouted out to freeze. "Do not touch him", Joseph bellowed at her. "As I said honey " that bit was spouted with deep sarcasm," he is better off not knowing the truth. If you do not allow the surgery to continue he will spend the rest of his life running from me. As will you". It was a powerful threat and she'd been sure he would comply.

But Joseph had more fire than she'd anticipated yelling back, "no Cass, I will hide both of them from you and you will never find them, this I vow. As for all your precious research well, I have already made sure you will never have control over any of that information. Somewhere there will be people who can use it for the right reasons". No matter how much you search you will not get anything of consequence, this too I vow".

He had taken Clint and Will and left after that not having the guts to end her life himself. That had of course been his mistake. She had gotten away from the others and embarked on a campaign to find both Will and Joseph.

He though, had been true to his word. She had found out Clint's location years later, but it was already too late, he was with SHIELD and HYDRA was at that stage not prepared to show their hand to get him out. She located Joseph soon after that and sent Byron Ink, her lover and formerly Joseph's friend to kill him. When he came back telling her of his success she felt nothing , one obstacle to her great plan had been eliminated .He had though not given up Will's location or told Ink where he'd hidden any of the research She was sure it would not take that much longer to find Will and Ink would have no trouble getting information out of him.

She was mistaken about that ,after years of searching Will seemed to be invisible to the world. Thinking about that, she theorsied Joseph had finally developed the shielding technology he had talked of with Alyce and used it to hide Will . She set HYDRAs systems in motion searching for all known codes that may reveal his location. She also used resources within HYDRA to work on perfecting the virus she'd used to kill Alyce. It would become her ultimate weapon . After more years had passed fruitlessly in her search for Will and she had almost given up hope HYDRA's systems finally proclaimed "match found".

So she had embarked upon what was supposed to be the fairly easy last stage of her plan. Except it had all gone spectacularly wrong, first Will was no longer the soft target, an easy kill. It turned out he was an agent with the IMF. Then of course somehow Clint Barton remembered he had a brother and interfered with her plans, bringing the Avengers along with him. She had been assured that recovery of Clint's memory was impossible and had smirked at the thought of Will living in the knowledge his brother knew nothing about him. At least she had perfected the virus weapon she'd use to take down the Avengers. Will still did not have the guts or knowledge to defy her.

Cass felt her fists clench as she thought about how wrong that theory had been. She had made just one mistake and that had been underestimating Will Brandt. In one explosive arrow powered moment he had shown that he was more alike Clint than she had ever believed.

Now he had reduced the odds and forced her out of hiding. Of course she had to consider that was his plan, and that the hidden laboratory was, like the bunker a trap to ensnare her and her remaining forces .Though may he have already played out all of his hand, he'd used the masquerade, and revealed both his ability with the bow and his cure for the virus. So what did he have left . Either the laboratory did not exist and he'd lead them into an area where the Avengers would take them out or, ..she paused sucking her breath into a little gasp, yes he would try that, it was the only choice left. As for her next moves well what happened next rested upon the actions of her son. She would make some preparations though and had included Cory in that part of the plan. Brandt would not win this time.

"He's now gone through 200 different changes of direction", Cory reported."They must know they are being watched and followed yet the Avengers are not taking any type of action, Cory remarked. That fact made him nervous, these were people with powers he could barely comprehend and they should not be letting them get this close to Brandt. Cassa smiled, "the fact the information was hidden in New York had worked against them. The people here remember what happened last time the Avengers unleashed their abilities. They saved the city but the personal price was high. There are many here who fear the type of power they weild and want them controlled more effectively". She had made sure those peoples voices resonated loudly. It was her own personal battle on two fronts, erosion from within and outside. This was not a fast process, but she had been slowly winning, until now.

"They have changed direction again, hmm this time it's a totally different location". Cory looked around him, 'this can't be right, do you see where he is leading us". Cassa had been watching as the city changed ,and could feel her plans teetering closer to oblivion.

xxxxxx

"This can't be right", Will open your eyes, Clint reached out and gently shook his brother. It had been almost eeiry watching him sit on the floor of the limousine with his eyes closed calling out direction changes . Nobody in the car had said anything about Will's latest revelation. They all had secrets of their own and knew the price for holding onto those secrets was high. If IMF knew the truth of Wills parentage, he would most likely be treated as an enemy, even though he had been serving loyally for years. Clint too was well aware that the knowledge would make the people who wanted him either dead or locked up for his actions under Loki's controls have a more persuasive voice. They could say his actions were deliberate and conducted on his mothers behalf. Fear would give rubbish like that a lot of power.

He had to restrain the shivers that came upon him as he thought of facing a woman that had given birth to him yet wanted him dead. Somewhere deep down there was a place within him that still believed this could turn out alright. It all rested upon Will.

He knew his brother did not want the laboratory in anyones hands as he did not trust what even a persons with the strongest morals might do when faced with powerful knowledge.

In the face of all that they knew Clint decided that Will's plan to end this was very predictable. The others had certainly guessed it easily enough. He had then expected them to veto those plans. But they had shocked him. Now all of them were prepared to defy IMF and SHIELD in the hope that it would also lead to the downfall of HYDRA.

"You know she's not just going to walk into this location", Steve reminded Will, "its too much like the situation at the bunker, it has trap written all over it".

"Of course, but she no longer has a choice, things have not gone well for her and it will reflect badly with others within HYDRA, now she'll have to prove herself", Will responded.

He had then opened his eyes and told them, "we are here'. One look outside the windows had once again changed everything.

Around them the city was in ruins. Will gasped that the scene of devastation. He noted that Clint was pale as he stared at the broken concrete, twisted metal and shards of glass that lay in tangled piles all around them. 'What happened", Will asked softly. "It was Loki and his army", Clints voice was barely audible and had a chill that spoke of nightmares beyond his comprehension. "One of his giant fish things landed right there", he pointed to the rubble. "Even after time has passed, the damage in some areas has yet to be dealt with." If the laboratory is here, then it could have suffered some type of trauma", he remarked. That might not be such a bad thing .

"It's under ground ,in a well protected location", Will told them. "We can access entry through the sewers. But once we leave the car we are going to be followed". "Do not try to delay them or stop them, the laboratory has defenses of ts own we can use."Steve swallowed he did not like this at all, being trapped like rats in a maze came into his mind. Yet he had agreed to this slightly mad plan and had to see it through. "Tony anything", he asked their lookout. "JARVIS reported that their were multiple vehicles tracking your location, all of them may look at first glance like random cars yet they form a defensive pattern around you ,covering all road based exit points." Steve told him about the sewers so that JARVIS could scan that area as well. 'Its like a labyrinth down, there, multiple entry and exit points. JARVIS also states that there is no sign of any type of hidden room", Tony reported.

Will could hear every word and ventured a half smile, he was once again going to get the better of Tony Stark. "It would not be that easy to find Stark, HYDRA would have similar equipment and has in likelihood scanned this area many times over the years."

Tony was silent for a moment while he mulled that over. Why did he had this secret dislike for Will Brandt deep inside somewhere. It felt like they were being played. Yet when he thought over everything an explanation came into mind. 'That shielding device could have been used to hide the labaroty. Obviously the code to track its location is different that the one used in your arm."

"Yes, I'd say dad did use another device to do that", Will confirmed, "and I am the only one who can turn it off". He looked over at Ethan, who sat beside him. "Its time to get out of the car and enter the sewers".

"It would be a sewer",Bruce grumbled . "Alright Tony, Tasha keep your eyes upon us and get ready to intervene if you see any hostiles", Steve requested.

He got out of the car holding the door open so that Clint and Will could exit. He had removed the shackle that secured Will's hand to his own, though the bracelet remained. It had a tiny GPS tracker imbedded within just in case Will chose to try and run off.

Clint stood close to his brother defying anyone to try and take a shot at them. He could though, see no one. "Theres a sewer entry point, just in there",Will pointed between two buildings to an alley that was shadowed by the large pieces of rubble that lay like an arch over its entry point.

Pushing Will forward they moved under that arch where Steve located the sewer cover and pulled it open. Then down they went, into the darkness, a stomach wrenching smell drifting up to meet them.

"Its this way", Will declared as soon as everyone was standing around him. How he knew where to go , Ethan did not know, he'd just follow along and keep watching for bad guys.

Above them Tony kept scanning the area noting that several people entered the sewers from multiple points. It was going to be crowded down there. He knew what Steves plan was and shuddered, this could all go spectacularly wrong.

"Multiple hostiles around you", he warned.

Will trudged through the putrid smelling mess in the sewers feeling memories swirl around him. The others followed in his wake looking at the solid walls around them and wondering how anyone could hide a laboratory down here.

After another 5 minutes of walking and Will stopped, "we are here", he announced standing by a very normal looking piece of tunnel wall.

"Yep ,I can really see that", Bruce muttered . Will smiled to himself again and raised his hand to run it through his hair. Clint ,recognizing the signal, came to stand by his side. "So big brother what next", he hinted.

Will took a breath, "open up please", he requested to the wall. It seemed for a moment that he was playing some elaborate game as nothing appeared to happen. Above them though, Tony noted that JARVIS's screening had just detected a new area. "There's a massive cavern just been revealed, it appears to be beyond the walls at your location", he told the others.

He suspected he may not be the only one to notice this fact and bumped up his alert status even higher. He could feel the potential for violence fall around them like a shroud.

Cory showed Cass the latest information and she nodded, it changed nothing as both her theories still held, it could be a large empty space or it could be more. "Our people are in side tunnels all around the location of the Avengers force".They will not be able to get out without going through us", Cory reported.

He too could feel another battle coming. It would not be pleasant down here but it would be easier than the forest as there were less places to hide.

As soon as he had finished thinking that, the Avengers team suddenly vanished from his scanners.

Will had the others form a chain all holding hands then he had simply stepped forward right through the very solid looking wall in front of them. "Wow", its was the indrawn breath of the stunned Dr Banner beside them as he stared at the enormous cavern that was filled with intriguing shapes covered with dusty white material.

He reached out toward one, "don't touch doc", Will warned. Bruce pulled his hand back. "Welcome to the laboratory everyone, we are now off radar", Will told them

Steve was touching the walls, "alright we now have to carry out our plan, remember everyone this was my idea". He looked over at Clint and Will, "they had nothing to do with it".

He saw Will stare at him again, he could not believe anyone would offer to make the sacrifice play for someone they barely knew.

Will let the memories swirl as he paced one last time around the cavern. "We are going to have to wait until the HYDRA team are close to the entry point. They will be able to scan that there is an entry, but will not be able to follow our movements. The doorway was DNA activated" , he explained.

Indeed there was quite a crowd in the tunnel outside. Cory had been the first to discover that while they could detect an area beyond they could not enter.

"So what now", he asked their not so glorious leader. He was feeling the same way he had with Byron Ink, that this was going to go horribly wrong. "Brandt has only one plan left, to destroy this place and hope we get caught in the fall out", she announced. That made Cory believe he was right , he could feel himself go a shade paler, "then what are we doing down here", he requested. "We need to stop them of course", Cassa told them, like it should be obvious.

She heard Cory suck in a breath of disbelief, and the others shuffle nervously, they were all losing faith in her and that could lead to disaster. She had to think of something reassuring to say . Feeling her foot teeter on something below her she put one hand out to the tunnel to steady herself. Seconds later she found herself falling through the tunnel wall.

Cory gasped and retested the walls. They would still not yield to his entry. "So it seems I was right again, it's a trap", he remarked.

Cassa found herself standing in the cavern with alot of hostile eyes staring at her. "As I said the entrance is coded to DNA, specifically Brandt DNA, so any of us, could have gotten in", Will stated calmly as he looked at her.

Cassa decided that pointing her weapon was useless as she was well outnumbered. All her power now rested with her words and actions. "So have you brought me here for a family reunion Will", she remarked ,her eyes firmly focused upon one of her sons.

She seemed sure of identity Ethan noted. Will said nothing just staring at her. Beside him Clint was icy pale, this was just as bad as any nightmare. He wished he could awaken and find everything was back to normal. "I just want to end it, that's why you are here, and are alone. You can stay here trapped forever or we can take you into custody. The choice is yours", Will spat out

"And I thought you had finally developed a back bone. But you still are weak Will, not having the strength to kill me", Cassa spat back. "Yes it was a risk coming here, but I too have made plans. You have played all your cards now Will and there's really only one way out."

She looked over at Bruce Banner, "when you brought him, you revealed what you had in mind, he transforms down here and brings down half the sewers, Nobody gets their hands on anything. Not a bad plan. It is though quite predicable", she mocked. Now it was time for the threat." If you don't surrender ,then I will activate a plan of my own. In buildings around this city people will enter dressed in SHEILD uniforms and they will take violent action against anyone they find." It will be the end of SHIELD and the Avengers", she grinned at them rather manically.

Steve Rogers felt ice descend upon his limbs. He had been the one to offer to take the blame for destroying the laboratory. His reputation was solid, unlike Will's or Clint's and could handle the consequences. Of course he did not tell Fury or Gideon Killian of his plan as they would not agree. Luckily they were not part of any conversations as they had feared that the infiltrators in their agencies had not been eliminated and therefore any plans could be leaked.

He should have been prepared for the fact the enemy might anticipate their actions, but he was not. This was a nightmare scenario and it gave HYDRA back the winning hand.

"You would do it anyway Cassandra, as your hatred for SHIELD burns as passionately as that for us' Will gestured to Clint who still stood frozen beside him just staring at their mother. "Not going to say Hi Clint", Cassandra scorned," how you managed to remember anything defies me. Still it does make revenge all that much sweeter."

Clint blanched, "you are doing this because our father left you for another woman. Perhaps he had cause to do that", he challenged. 'Yeah he did, because I am a nasty shit of a person and always was. Alyce was the nice one and probably deserved him. Yet I was not going to let her win. Nor am I going to let you win. All I have to do is tell Mr Fine to initiate our plan and a lot of people are going to suffer", Cassandra stated.

"So you now have 10 seconds in which to surrender yourself, and the Avengers forces",she crossed her arms and smirked knowing they did not have a way out of this one.


	28. Chapter 28

"Chapter 27 Encounter part 2 the conclusion of Forget me not...

SHIELD base Hawaii

Fury paced the floor, up, turn, down and back again. He noted Gideon Killian just sat though his fingers twitched through each other. "It's hard just to sit here and wait", he acknowledged to Fury. 'Yes ,even harder to not know what has happened. I trust Captain Rogers implicitly but still feel that we might not be kept in the loop",Nick told him. 'Yeah friendship outweighs the duties to their agencies, and of course William and Clint are more than just friends. Years apart have not mattered, I believe they still understand each other", Gideon acknowledged. 'Where that understanding will lead, I cannot be sure, we may just lose both of them", that bit was said behind gritted teeth.

Fury knew he was right, Will and Clint could simply disappear after they had completed this mission. He was reminded of the fact that Clint had a way out already planned. It was possible Will Brandt had his own methods in place as well. Neither of them could prevent that happening. All they could hope for was that Will and Clint did feel a strong enough bond to the agencies to decide to return.

xxxx

In the tunnel under the sewers, New York city

"9",she had already begun that countdown. Ethan had been in that position before, hearing numbers fall away and just knowing something bad was going to happen. In this case, he thought that Will was right and Cassa Brandt would carry out her plan whether they gave in or not.

So she was just doing this countdown to torment them, or rather to torment Will and Clint. Will had time to prepare himself for this and just stood staring her in the eye. He stood at his tallest shoulders back, eyes determined and only the slightest sign of a tremor. Beside him Clint looked worse, he was pale and stared as his mother with a haunted look. She ,he noted was not looking Clint in the eye. In fact she barely registered he was there, all her focus, all her malice was directed at Will.

"Can I ask one question", the request slipped from Clint's tongue when Cassa hit 7. She just glanced at him and away. "Stalling will not work", she spat out. "Stalling, it's not about stalling. It's about memory. Mine is coming back to me and I want to know something", Clint told her earnestly.

Will turned to look at Clint. He had not expected his brother to say anything. Neither had Cassa Brandt. "6", she replied with a spit toward Clint. Will saw Clint lower his eyes and he reached out and touched him. Cassa saw that too, them holding hands in front of her. "All that love ", she muttered, "it is wasted gentlemen",5'. "You had better surrender now".

She wanted to hurt Will and knew that she had, yet now when it seemed like she had the upper hand back he just stood there staring her in the eye. It was almost unsettling. Beside him Clint looked battered emotionally, his tattered memory would only provide painful reminders of all that he had lost. She spared him only the briefest of glances. He had been the strong one, the one whos defeat would come when SHIELD had fallen. All her malice had been for Will, the one she had seen as a carbon copy of her sister. Of course recent events had proved that he was not. So did she really know him at all, was he going to fold, that's what she wanted him to do, she needed to win. "4", she said steadily. Around them the others did not move, all of them were watching Will, waiting to see what he would do.

"Love is never wasted, you loved us , I remember you taking us in your arms and kissing us. It was not your sister, it was you", Clint had uttered something totally unpredictable. Cassa felt herself go pale as the words touched a nerve. Will cast him a long look then turned back to her studying her reaction carefully. "That's it isn't it. What you are really wanting to destroy, what you see as your own weakness, that you actually loved us. I am sorry mother, that dad felt it necessary to take us away, that he feared that your bond with us was not strong enough to break you free from HYDRA. His love never had been".

"You hate me so much because not only do I remember you and your love, I also got love from our father. Clint had forgetten both of us and that was your victory. You never thought he could ever get his memories back. Well now he has. But he can remember who you were, not who you are."Is that not a good thing.". Let him go Cassa, and try and keep that memory alive. You have me and I will stand here while you do your worst", Will told her.

He did not expect Clint to like what he said. Clint in fact gave him a glare that would have scared many people, it was the look of an assassin eyeing up a target. Will just shrugged it off . "Don't do that", Clint growled, 'its too late Will, I will not forget what she's done to you".I stand with you and will fall with you, that's what you do for people you love". He grabbed Will then and enfolded his arms around him tightly all the while ignoring Cassa Brandt.

"I think we are down to 3 seconds", was all she said, though her white face indicated that both of them had picked at an emotional sore within her. 'Just do it Cassa, stop the dramatic countdown and do your worst", Will told her. He was getting tired of this game. "I will do it Will, ", Cassa told him firmly. Why was he not afraid, she wondered, he did not look that scared. "I know", Will told her softly, "So get on with it". He tightened his grip onto Clint's hand feeling like it was the only lifeline that would stop him from giving in .

Cassandra Brandt decided she was done with trying to get him to concede. Maybe he did need to see and feel the fallout of her actions. Then he would surrender. "Cory initiate my plan, send the troops into the building in their SHIELD gear", she ordered her colleague.

She smiled, "Will you have just lost everything, SHIELD will fall and he" ,she pointed to Clint, "along with it". "You only have yourself to blame, I would not have done it if you had surrendered".

Will just looked back calmly. Around him the others were all standing firm, trying not to let their own feelings show. What was Will's plan ,was going through Ethan's mind. He had not really laid out how he was going to deal with Cassa Brandt. There had never been an expectation in Ethan's mind that Will would or could kill his own mother. It did not matter what she had done, he still would not be the one to raise his hand against her. But if he had expected that his brother, a trained assassin, would do the job for him, he was definitely mistaken.

Clint just stood now also staring her in the eye and not making one move toward his arrows. The minutes ticked by. 'This plan of yours seems to be taking a while", Will noted calmly

Ethan tried hard not to smile then, because he recognised the tone in Will's voice, he had already thought up a counter to her plans and put it into motion. He too had been playing his own game. Cassa Brandt had already lost and did not know it yet.

That was what Will wanted to do to her, Ethan realized, tell her she was human and fallible. Maybe he was hoping that that her love for them might return, that she might be redeemable. The sad thing about that was he could sense that Will was mistaken about that as well.

Cassa was staring Will in the eye and realizing that the tone of his voice and that look in his eye was exactly the same as when she had spoken of victory to her sister a long time ago. She had never bluffed with her sister or pretended, it had all been about passionate victory and making others feel small. Why did she now many years later feel exactly the same as she stared her sons in the eye "Cory report", she requested quickly. Silence was her answer. "Dammit man, say something", now she screamed the words.

Will took a breath and told her the thing she had never expected, "Cory is on our side"."You are not the only one who has infiltrators".

Ethan had to admit, he was surprised, there had never been an indication that they had a helper within HYDRA. Around him the others were equally as shocked.

Her first impulse was to spit out the words you lie, because she had checked the background of everyone in HYDRA many times and had never found any indication any of her compatriots had anything to do with enemy people or agencies. However she knew that he was not lying.

So Will was still playing the game and he was doing well. She should have offered him a place by her side, he and not Fine would have made a great right hand man. Now she could not make that offer, because he would refuse. No matter how hard he fought against her, he was still fundamentality like her long dead sister.

Cassa now had to counter his moves. "Cory is not alone Will, he is in the midst of a HYDRA force".

"We have an Avengers force", Steve Rogers put in his first comment. "Yes, you do and you always do the right thing as well Rogers. Will is certainly in the right type of company. So are you going to tear the city apart again. You might beat us, but the people will loath you for what you have done to their city and it will be them who will insist that you quit. Can you stand that, peoples hero", her words were loaded with contempt and actually made Steve flinch. He knew she was right.

"Steve", Will addressed Captain America directly for the first time. "It won't come to that".

He looked over at his mother, "you won't surrender", he asked. She knew he already had figured out the answer to that question and was giving it one last chance to turn out alright. He could never put the family back together but at least he could avoid bringing others into the fight.

Deep inside her she knew she still loved them both and some part of her was bleeding right now, because she would not concede. "No", she said the words passionately.

Will nodded. He could feel Clint's hand squeezing his own with a force that was almost painful. That was telling him that no matter what he said next, he was with him.

"Iniate defense protocol", Will spoke the words to the air. "What", Cassa remarked, she had expected him to contact the others. "This place has its own defenses", Will stated. Steve had forgotten Will saying that when they entered. He had no idea what it meant.

The ominous shaking that begun seconds later however told him it might mean something dangerous.

Outside Tony Stark , Natasha, Jane and Benji had listened to every word that had been said. They had expected to get instructions to enter the tunnel. But once again Will Brandt had not told them everything. "Sir, there is a problem", JARVIS told him. "Of course there is", Tony remarked sarcastically, "there always has to be". What am I going to have to do this time".

JARVIS did not answer his question, just reporting, "I can detect some type of defensive weaponry imbedded within the tunnel walls. It is almost exactly where that rubble is located. My sensors are detecting destabilization of the tunnel structure due to activation of those devices".

Benji felt himself go rather pale upon hearing those words. Tony did not bother wasting words repeating exactly what JARVIS said to his friends below, he went with, "guys the tunnel is collapsing".

The shaking was becoming more violent and pieces of dirt and something worse were now falling upon them. Will looked rather shocked, which told the others that this had definitely not been part of his plan. "JARVIS reports that the structure you are in and the surrounding tunnels will completely collapse within the next ten minutes". I suggest you run", Tony informed them.

Cassa had heard his words but stood firm. "Is this another trick William". I will still not surrender".

"It's not a trick. Dad was not going to leave all this here without having some means to protect it from the wrong hands." Unfortunately he did not know that an alien army would cause damage to the whole area years later". We need to get out of here", Will told her. Cassa shook her head, "no William, I leave and it is the same as surrender".

A piece of something disgusting landed on her head as she said that. "We have to go Will, Clint", Ethan insisted.

Will however was not making any moves to leave. He was still looking at his mother and hoping desperately that she would choose to leave with them. "Whats going on", it was Cory Fine's voice and it sounded desparate. "Get out Cory, you have done your bit", Will told him. "Yes, you traitorous bastard, run away because if HYDRA catches you , then you die", Cassa told him.

Cory let her words slide off him. He would have nightmares about his time with HYDRA and they would take awhile to fade. He had gone into this plan knowing he may have to help HYDRA and Cassa Brandt unleash violence upon others . At times he had felt himself slipping into a void where he no longer knew whose side he was on. Then he would remember his own father who had also been a scientist and had died at the hands of Byron Ink. That made him hold on to the fact that one day he would see Cassa Brandt fail. Today was that day. Now all he had to do was help William Brandt take her into custody.

"Why don't you try and catch me yourself Cassa, or are you too scared", Cory taunted. He knew how to push her buttons.

It was ,Will thought, a good way for Cory to try and get his former boss out of the tunnel and into SHIELD custody.

She still did not move. The words washed over her, you have failed, you have failed, it hammered into her head with painful intensity. Now she would have to let her self be captured and led out of her, or be prepared to die. In a moment Cassa had made her choice, whatever happened death was awaiting her anyway. SHIELD or IMF would not let her live, no matter what Will or Clint wanted.

She nearly wavered when a chunk of tunnel fell down, missing Steve Rogers by inches. "Go", Will told his freinds. He was going to stay and hope he could still get his mother out of here. "No Will we are not leaving you here", Ethan told him firmly. "She is making her choice".Now you must choose to live".

Will did not move one inch. "Dammit", Clint swore, he grabbed Will around one arm and dragged him forward with all his might. "Come Will,please", he begged. "I know you want her to live, I do too, but do not die for her sake".

Cassa heard the words and felt a lump rise in her throat. For all she had done to them, they still wanted to give her the choice of living ,if only for a short while . If she did surrender it would give her a chance to talk to both of them, to feel like she actually knew them. A tear ran from her eye. It was the impossible dream, she knew she would keep fighting them, keep trying to be a winner, it would be a life of anger and pain. Nothing would change, that had always been the problem. So she did the one thing that she thought she never would, give someone else a chance to win. "Run Will, Clint", she said. "Take it as my final gift to you".

Will still stood firm reluctant to leave as he sensed she had given in. Ethan knew though it was not surrender to captivity with them, but being trapped down here. It was her own personal jail. Another chunk of tunnel fell then, missing his foot by only about 10 centimetres. This whole place was coming down and still Will stood hoping that the woman in front of them would take his hand.

She would never do it and Ethan knew Will also knew that. He was just being as stubborn as his mother was. So Steve and Ethan both stepped in and helped Clint drag him. Will struggled a little ,but could not resist the power of three people. He kept his eyes focused on his mother still standing in the centre of the laboratory watching him being dragged away.

Bruce Banner had just watched, thankful he had not be called upon to transform. He had stood the entire time pretending to listen and hoping the others would not notice him taking something from under the draped sheet in front of him.

"Run Bruce", Steve advised," transforming down here now, would definitely not help things".

Bruce nodded, he was right. He found that scientists did not need to be large green monsters to run fast, danger was a good enough incentive.

"Hurry", Tony warned them. As they dragged Will out into the tunnel around them they noted large cracks forming in the walls. The shaking was so violent that it was hard to keep their feet.

They lurched from side to side as they sped down the corridors.

Ahead of them Cory Fine ran while trying to avoid the HYDRA troops, who could still turn upon him. They though looked too busy trying to run themselves.

Cory found the ladder upward 3 minutes later and began his ascent into the light.

The others behind him were not so fortunate, as a large lump of brick fell from a crack to block access to the ladder. "JARVIS reports the tunnel ahead is blocked, take the left hand tunnel and keep running for 200 metres, there is another access ladder there", Tony told his friends. He knew his voice had sounded shaky as a panic attack came upon him.

Will had finally decided he could run under his own steam and shaken off the hands pulling at him. He had hoped he could bring Cassa with them and felt shaken that she had not seen sense in the end.

In his heart though he knew that surrendering to SHIELD or IMF meant eventual death and that Cassa had preferred to take her chances in a collapsing tunnel.

Ahead of him Steve Rogers raised his shield to protect them as another piece of tunnel fell in their path.

This one did not obstruct their progress, so they clambered over it. "Ladder, in fifty metres", Tony told them. Safety was nearly upon them and they were all relieved. With the ladder in sight they all found themselves flying onto the ground as a violent shudder passed through the ground beneath their feet.

Behind them the cracks covering the tunnel wall widened until the tunnel simply collapsed in upon itself. The noise was deafening as pieces of tunnel were propelled along toward them.

"Up the ladder now", Steve ordered jumping to his feet and quickly grabbing hold of the rungs and ascending as fast as he could go. Bruce, was quick on his heels. Ethan stayed below, making sure to push first Clint and then Will ahead of him. Will though once again resisted. "Its too late for her now Will, go "Ethan ordered.

Will looked at him and ventured a small smile, "it was not her I was worried about Ethan, it was you", he said. Ethan smiled back, "I will be right behind you", he said firmly as he pushed Will forward again.

This time Will climbed. But as he did he found his thoughts returning to his mother.

Once they had gone from sight Cassa Brandt decided to run. May be out there in the world she could find other allies that did not know she was weak. She hit the barrier outside the laboratory and found that this time it would not yield, she was trapped.

Above her the pieces of tunnel had stopped falling into the room and the shaking had stopped. It was as if it had been a programmed response that was no longer needed.

She looked around her, at all the treasures hidden under the draped material. Perhaps there was a solution to her weakness here. Will had made a mistake when he let her live. She grabbed hold of one piece of draping and pulled.

Xxxxxx

"So the whole place collapsed around us", Steve told Nick Fury and Gideon Killian. "We could not secure any type of information from the laboratory as it would have delayed our escape."

Nick and Gideon were disappointed in hearing that, yet relieved HYDRA had also come away with nothing. "JARVIS has scanned the area and found that the laboratory itself did not collapse, only the surrounding tunnels. The whole area though is structurally unsound as that entire pile of rubble still rests squarely on top of the location. It is our belief that any attempt to access the laboratory will lead to that rubble collapsing upon it and destroying the contents", Tony reported.

Fury sighed heavily upon hearing that, 'so we will get nothing in the future either". He eyed William Brandt to see if he looked upset, and found that he did. That was a relief as he had thought that somehow Will had ruined their chances of securing the information within the laboratory. He would have had to take action against the agent if that had been the case. That would have led to trouble with Clint. He was happy that did not happen.

So onto the next question. "Do we know if there were any HYDRA survivors" he asked. "We have in custody a few of their number, though not their leader. She chose to stay in the laboratory instead of risking capture", Steve responded. He had not said anything about the identity of that leader or Williams Brandt's plan to destroy the laboratory and never would. "So is there anything in there she can use to mount an escape", Nick asked Will Brandt.

Will shook his head, "she cannot access anything without my presence". If she's there then she is trapped and can never leave. Dad did leave some emergency rations stored there so she can survive for awhile", he said it without a tremor, knowing that may give the indication he was emotionally invested in her welfare. Nick sighed again, "then I guess, she stays there ".

He looked at Will and Clint, "you Will Brandt will return to IMF and be debriefed , Clint will stay here." Our agencies will be in touch with each other and work out the issues surrounding having identical twins. "

Neither Will or Clint protested, It seemed like both their agencies were content enough with the result even though everything had not gone their way…

Xxxx

Bruce had slipped away as soon as he had given his statement. He hurried to Tony Starks tower, to confess, "I stole something from the laboratory". Stark's eyebrows shot up. He did not protest as already he could feel the possibilities building. "Let's take a look at what you've got", he said. Bruce pulled out the small, compact device he had hidden in the folds of his clothing and watched as Tony connected JARVIS. The AI scanned the device. "It appears to have absolutely no purpose", he reported. "The components have been randomly placed, with no particular thought as to function. All I can get is this", he played a sound that resembled someone blowing a raspberry.

Bruce stared at Tony and Tony stared back. "So was it all a trick then, was everything in that place a fake", Bruce queried. "That would mean Will Brandt had yet another agenda", Tony mused. "JARVIS told me something else of interest. His scans of the device found in Brandt's arm reveal that it did not shut down because of the sea water. It seems someone changed the code".

Now that was interesting Bruce thought. "Well Brandt did not know about the device, I believe that part was true".So someone else turned it off before Byron Ink discovered Brandts location on that island."

It could have been Cory Fine", since he was actually helping us", Bruce mused. "Yes, but he was with Ink and that would have been risky. I believe his instructions were to stay undercover long enough to see the end of Cassa Brandt." It makes me wonder if Brandt has other things he is hiding", Tony concluded.

"It not our business anymore", Bruce told him quite firmly. "Don't worry I am not saying a thing", Tony told him…

Xxxx

A couple of months later.

Clint did not know what to buy his brother for Christmas. Steve and the others had told him that being together was enough and he knew that was true. They were meeting up in a cabin in the woods miles from anything and anybody. Clint had put up with months of questions and analysis of the whole mission until finally he felt like SHIELD was satisfied. Will too had been through the same process. Neither one of them were in any type of trouble and that was also a relief. They would continue to work with their agencies and from time to time work together as well.

He found Will in front of a fire, his face pink from the heat. "Merry Christmas", he said simply. "Merry Christmas Clint", Will replied moving over to embrace him with a hug. "So we are finally alone", Clint sighed," no more questions about whether you planned it all. Everyone is satisfied that the collapse of the laboratory was just a coincidence ." Of course they are all kicking themselves that the events did not take place one year earlier, before Loki's attack, then the result would have been different".

"It wouldn't because I still would have destroyed the place and then both of us would have ended up in deep shit with our agencies.", Will replied as he moved over to place plates upon the table. "That's why it happened now, Clint, so they'd never suspect it was all planned", he added.

"What", Clint found himself sinking into a chair. "I knew about Loki Clint, and what happened during the battle of New York", Will told him. "It created a weakness in the laboratory that would mean activating the defense systems would end up destroying all access points". "After the battle was the only time I would not have gotten the blame for the destruction." I wanted to take the blame of course but there is someone who would not let me", Will concluded.

Clint did not ask about that last comment because his mind was still reeling ."You knew about the battle of New York", he spluttered ,not believing what he was hearing. "Yes, everything Clint, including what happened to you." I really wanted to make that Loki guy pay", Will said with a definite fierceness. "That's why the ending of this plan changed once you joined us". I was not letting them try and pin any blame on you for the destruction".

"Will how did you know, the battle of New York is classified, eyes only. Nobody would have told you, nobody should have told you", Clint replied shakily. "Why should they not have told me Clint. You are my brother, lost to me or not", Will told him firmly

"But SHIELD or IMF did not know there were two of us,so who told you", Clint repeated. There was something strange in Will's eyes now, something he could not interpret. "You know I lied a lot during this mission Clint, even under the influence of truth serum. I had to lie, because I knew that all that research from all those minds is still out there. The place where we were, the laboratory, was just a cover, a trap for HYDRA."

Will began to set food on their plates as he talked and for the first time Clint noticed something, "why are their three plates" he asked. He knew that Natasha wasn't joining them because for some reason she seemed mad with Will. So who was it.

He had the answer when a man stepped out of the bedroom. From the dim recesses of his mind Clint remembered him, even though the years had changed his appearance. "Dad", he spluttered suddenly understanding all Will had said.

"Yes", Joseph Brandt replied. Byron Ink never killed me all those years ago. I just make him think that he had. "It was all because I hold all that knowledge Clint in here", he tapped his head," and I will never give it to anyone. Years ago I stopped believing I could find anyone that would use all that information for good. That why ,when the time was right I put in motion that plan that would make it seem like that information was lost forever".

"That war with Loki did one good thing, in giving us this opportunity. We were going to end things with HYDRA then come and get you from SHIELD and tell you everything. We never expected that you'd actually join us", Joseph told him..

"So it was planned, all of it. You had Will act as bait, to lure your former wife out of hiding. I am not sure what I feel about that", Clint told him truthfully. He was not to sure what to feel about anything right now. " I agreed to do it Clint", Will told him firmly. "We needed to be free from HYDRA as well as our mother".

Clint let out a breath as he took that in. He supposed that had he been in Will's position he would have done the same thing. "So is she dead now", he asked finally. "No, she's still alive. That place had enough food in storage for years of survival. It also had a lot of home movies, of our lives. Its all the good stuff she believed did not exist. Now she'll have to watch it and be part of the family.", Joseph told him.

Clint was still thinking, "so Loki actually did me two favours, he returned my memories, then became the scapegoat for the destruction of that so called laboratory". Clint found himself beginning to laugh as what had happened to him during that battle of New York came another step closer to being healed.

He looked over at Joseph Brandt who was watching him sadly, speculatively. He could never undo the past, what had happened to him or Will. They had lost a lot of time together. But they still had a lot of time left. So he did not hesitate in moving forward and wrapping his arms around his brother and father. His fathers survival was a secret he would keep hidden forever.

"Merry Christmas Clint", Will and Joseph told him. He knew this was going to be the best one he had ever had.

The END


End file.
